


Stripped

by riddlemetitillatedhiddles (ninecats), wibblywobblymess



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Violence tags for assault later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-27
Updated: 2015-09-27
Packaged: 2018-04-23 13:40:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 34,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4878943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninecats/pseuds/riddlemetitillatedhiddles, https://archiveofourown.org/users/wibblywobblymess/pseuds/wibblywobblymess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post-Avengers.</p><p>After the Avengers catch Loki, and he returns to Asgard with Thor, a decision is reached on the best way to deal with the God of Mischief. </p><p>He is stripped of his powers, and dropped back on Earth, in the custody of SHIELD Agent Cole, one of Fury's most trusted agents.</p><p>But what happens when she gets to see Loki, not as a God, not as a troublemaker, not as a misfit, but as a person?</p><p> </p><p>{Also, I promise, I'm going to go through this & make notes on which chapters have the assault, so I can make sure you guys don't get triggered.}</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Chapters 8, 13, and 18 were written for me by the absolutely amazing and wonderfully talented riddlemetitillatedhiddles (ninecats), without whom I would never have been able to finish this story, and I owe her so much for helping me with one of the best stories I've ever done.

The floor was hard beneath her as she sat upon it and stretched, laying her body across one leg, sitting up, and then leaning across the other. Pressing her hands back into the floor, and letting out a slow breath, she pushed herself to her feet, and stepped onto the mat in front of her.

“Ready, Cole?” asked the man on the other side of the blue padding.

“Bring it on.”

A smirk appeared on her lips as they moved towards each other, her arm thrusting out and narrowly missing his head as he ducked. With a shift of her stance and a twist of her hips, she avoided his responding swing, shoving her elbow sharply into his side as her foot swung out to catch his.

“Miller! Cole!” Miller’s eyes shot over her head to the source of the voice, but her foot caught his leg, and her arm thrust against his chest, flattening him to the ground as she dropped and pushed her fist against his throat.

“Eh…eeee….Fury,” he grunted against her hand, as she raised a brow, and tilted her head.

“You can let him up now.” Cole scrambled to her feet, and clasped her hands behind as Miller stumbled to stand beside her, shrugging his shoulders as he rubbed at his neck.

“Sir.”

“Cole, it doesn’t matter how many times I try to catch you off-guard, you still seem on-point.”

“That’s my duty, sir.” Fury chuckled, and looked between the two of them, before nodding.

“Miller, you’re excused.”

“Sir.” Turning, Miller jogged off the mat, leaving Cole behind with Fury.

“Looks like I’ve made the right choice, then. Get changed, Cole,” he ordered, and, with a nod of her head, she bounded off to the lockers to change back into her SHIELD suit.

Upon returning to the gym, Fury motioned for her to follow, before leading her out of the room, and into the elevator. Neither said a word as the box lifted from the lowest level, and finally reopened several floors up. With a glance towards Cole, Fury led the way into the hall, and down towards the war room, where five of the chairs were taken, the monitors filled with images of war. Cole slowed to a stop just inside the room, her eyes traveling across the screens, and she sighed.

That battle that raged in New York, at the hands of an angry god, was the only thing anyone was concerned about, and the only thing they had been concerned about for the past couple of months. The city was still damaged, but repairs were being made, with much help from Stark Industries. Seated on one side of the table, she finally noticed, was Tony Stark himself, his head tilted towards the man beside him. No one seemed to realize the two had entered the room, and for a moment, she was sure Fury had forgotten she had followed him up.

But he turned, and motioned an open chair to her before taking a seat at the head of the table.

“Agent Cole, I believe you know the team assembled here - Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, and Clint Barton.”

“Sir,” she replied, with a nod of her head. “It’s good to see everyone…safe and sound,” she added, as she cracked a smile towards the team sitting near her.

“Did Fury tell you why you’re here?” Bruce asked curiously. Clearing her throat nervously, she shook her head, and crossed her legs as she dropped into her chair.

“No…not yet,” she spoke, clearly a bit nervous.

“Come on, Fury, you can’t recruit an Agent for something like this without prepping them first,” Tony spoke up, prompting an eyebrow raise and a curious glance towards Fury, seated at the head of the table with his hands crossed over his chest.

“For…something like what, Sir?”

                With a sigh, Fury climbed to his feet, and stepped around the table, sliding a hand across the monitor at the other end of the table. Pictures changed from the damage to the city, to file photos from the battle, the Avengers, and the Teseract, . Frowning, Cole leaned against the table, pressing her hand against the top as she peered around Natasha and Clint in the seats beside her.

“We sent Loki back to Asgard with Thor, to be imprisoned and punished as they saw fit. And it appears they finally reached a decision on what that punishment is going to be,” Fury said, turning and crossing his arms behind his back.

“…is it a good enough punishment, considering what he has done?” she asked, keeping her eyes on Fury to avoid blushing as the others peered at her.

“We’re hoping so.”

                Fury turned his head, eyeing at the screens behind him, before he met her gaze with his eye once more, and formed the smallest smirk in the corner of his mouth.

“I tried to consider the best person for this job. It’s high stakes, high reward. And as you well know, we have a lot of excellent, strong, worthy agents in SHIELD.”

“That we do, sir.” He smiled as she agreed, before he motioned around the table.

“I even considered each of them, seeing as how they brought him down the first time…but the only thing they want to do with this assignment is checking in every so often to be sure it’s going right.”

                Eyes were on Cole, and she shifted a little in her seat, her temperature rising at the realization that she was the center of attention. Her, the nearly silent mouse at the end of the line, a completely unassuming agent, was the one with all eyes on her. Clearing her throat, she shot a glimpse around the table, before eyeing Fury once more.

“Sir?”

“I have decided…based on your track record, your strength, and your desire for excellence…you are the agent I want on this.” Her eyebrow quirked up, and he turned to face the monitors, swiping his hand across the screen to change to the file photos of Loki, while they had him in custody. “Loki has been returned to Earth, completely stripped of his powers. He is going to be just like us. And you, Agent Cole,” he started, peeking over his shoulder, “will be in charge of integrating him into life on Earth.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

“I…I’m sorry,  _what_?” she asked, furrowing her brow as she leaned forward a bit in her seat.

“Loki is going to be your responsibility. He has been stripped of his powers, meaning he is of no threat to you…at least, not as he was to all of us last time he was here.”

“My…he’s…” She was speechless, and shocked. Loki was a god, the God of Mischief, and she, a pathetic little SHIELD agent, was to be responsible for him? It had to be a joke, but she couldn’t find the breath to laugh as she shook her head.

“Yes. Now, the team  _has_  offered their assistance to you, to make sure he doesn’t get too out line. With as well as you’ve been doing for SHIELD since you started last year, I have confidence you’ll do just fine, but all the same, they’ll be keeping their eyes open. Just in case.”

                Cole was so shocked by the assignment, so uncertain about what Fury told her, that she didn’t hear the door open behind her. She had no idea anyone had entered the room until she saw Clint moving out of the corner of her eye, and, instinctively, gulped a breath of air and turned around.

                The door slid shut behind Thor and Loki, the former dressed as he was during the battle, the latter seemingly forced into human clothes. Jeans, t-shirt, tennis shoes – he was clearly uncomfortable, shifting slightly and running his hands down the front of his shirt, avoiding looking around the room.

“Sir, are you sure you want me to do this?” she asked quickly, turning back to see Fury watching her curiously.

“Absolutely, Agent Cole. He’s going to be your responsibility, meaning you do what you have to in order to keep him in line,” Fury informed her, smirking as Loki peered up from the floor. A series of swears ran through Cole’s mind as she shifted in her seat, but gulped again, and nodded.

“…by…my responsibility…does that mean he’s staying with me, as well?”

“Yes. But like I said before, you won’t be completely alone. We’ll have other agents checking in on you, and these five will keep their eyes on you, as well.”

                Of all the things Cole had seen since she joined SHIELD, the things she’d done, this was the one thing she was completely unprepared for, and found herself fidgeting nervously at the thought of. She had been responsible for others before, it was part of the job at SHIELD, but this…this was new. This was different. He wasn’t just “someone else”. This was Loki, of Asgard, a god in every right. And he had already tried to rule once, what was to stop him from trying again, all-powerful or not?

                But she knew better. She couldn’t question Fury.

                Instead, with a soft sigh, she nodded, and climbed to her feet.

“Thank you…for your confidence, Sir.”

“Thank you for accepting the assignment, Cole. Don’t let me down.”

“I won’t, sir,” she said, though she was silently afraid she would. Failure wasn’t part of her vocabulary – but, then again, until recently, neither was “a god destroyed New York”.

                Cole expected driving the stripped god back to her apartment, a third floor corner piece of property that hadn’t seen any visitors since she moved in, to be quiet and completely uncomfortable, with only the two of them in her car, so she smiled and nodding welcomingly when Fury recommended another agent follow her home, and ensure she had things under control.  

                The two parked on the street out front, and she glanced sideways at Loki before climbing out, pushing her fingers through her dark blonde locks, and rounding the front of the jeep.

“You coming up, Miller?” she called, as he pushed the door to his car shut.

“It’s what Fury wanted.” Cole nodded, and motioned for Loki to step out, her hand resting on her weapon as she waited. He eyed her hand, her holster, before reluctantly climbing from the jeep, and stepping to the side as she pushed the door closed behind him.

“Let’s go.” She kept one hand positioned over her holster, waiting until Miller had a firm grasp on Loki’s arm, before she opened the door to the building, and led them to the steps. No chance they were going to the elevator – just to be safe.

                As they reached the landing on the third floor, and she stopped to get her key from her pocket, she heard a grunt behind her, and turned sharply to see Loki spinning, grabbing Miller by the throat.

“Hey!” she hollered, her feet thumping as she moved the few steps back towards them.

With a smirk, Loki released Miller, shoving him sharply down the half-flight behind him. He turned, eyes narrowed, expecting to catch Cole before she could reach him. But she was quicker than he expected, and her fist met his cheek as he faced her, before her hand grabbed his black hair roughly, and she yanked him from the edge of the steps. Loki’s skidded a small bit, swinging his hand up to grab hers, his other hand impacting her side and making her lose grip on his hair. Groaning, Cole shifted, and drove her foot into his, lifting it to kick his knee out. Her fingers finally released the snap on her holster as he fell back onto the floor, and she withdrew her weapon, dropping to her knee beside him to press the gun to his temple.

“Do not…tempt me…” she growled, narrowing her eyes to slits as he stared up at her, chest heaving as he caught his breath. From the bottom of the steps came a grunt, and a groan, and a breath of muddled swears, as Miller stumbled to his feet, his hands rubbing his neck.

“Stupid fucker,” he said, the only audible thing he said, as he made his way up the steps.

“You wouldn’t shoot a god, you puny human,” Loki grumbled. She thumped the muzzle on his forehead, her finger shaking against the trigger, before she moved it to wrap it around the grip, and glowered at him.

“Check yourself, Loki. You’ve been stripped, remember? You are just as human as I am,” Cole hissed, keeping her weapon aimed as she stood, grabbed his arm, and yanked him to his feet. “Get over there,” she added, thrusting him face first into the wall beside the door. “Miller, grab my keys and open the door.”

“Sure thing,” he huffed, picking up the three keys looped onto a single ring that had fallen to the ground in the scuffle. “You sure you don’t want me to keep him in check?”

“You might shoot him. And seeing as he is my responsibility…I want that honor,” she taunted, brushing the muzzle of the gun against Loki’s neck as he rested his forehead on the wall.

“If you’re going to do it, do it now, get it over with. I’m not any happier about being here than you are,” he grumbled, his voice slightly muffled by the wall. Miller chuckled, and flipped the keys in each lock, twisting the knob and pulling the door towards them.

“Shut up and get inside,” she sighed, grasping his shoulder and nudging him towards the opened door.


	3. Chapter 3

The apartment was locked down almost tighter than SHIELD itself, and Loki shifted a bit nervously as he realized it. Bars and locks were just the start of protection on the inside of the windows. An alarm panel was secured into the wall just inside the front door, as well as just outside one of the bedrooms down the hall. There were three locks on the front door – two deadbolts, one on the knob – and as he peered down the hall, he saw at least one deadbolt on the three doors down the way.

“Someone’s prepared…what are you so afraid of?” Loki teased, raising a brow as he looked towards her.

“Beings like you,” she responded casually, nodding a thank you to Miller as he left the apartment. “I would rather be too safe than dead,” she added, and made her way down the hall, disappearing into her room for a moment before returning without her weapon.

                The two stood quietly, him in the living room doorway, her in the middle of the hall, looking at each other, sizing each other up. She only knew what she saw in his file, and honestly, that wasn’t as much as she wished it were. Loki, on the other hand, knew literally nothing except that Fury handpicked her to be in charge of him – what more did he need to know?

                Finally, with a breath, she reached her hands up, and hooked them around the back of her neck, eyeing him through her bangs.

“Are you…hungry?”

“…only if you don’t plan to poison me.” Cole scoffed, and rolled her eyes, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.

“Don’t tempt me. Didn’t I already warn you?” she asked, shaking her head as she moved for the fridge.

It hadn’t occurred to her that she didn’t  _have_  any food until she cracked the door back, and found herself staring at three jars of condiments, an expired bottle of milk, and half a bag of cheese. She shifted her stance, frowning, as she peered into the freezer – nothing but a bag of ice – and then into the cabinets – baking soda and flour.

“Son of a bitch. Okay…take out it is.” Loki had his brow furrowed, not sure what that was, but watched her pull her phone from her pocket, turning to keep an eye on him as she dialed in a number, and held it to her ear. “Hey…this is Nicky Cole,” she started, a small smile on her face as the voice responded in her ear. “I’m doing fine. Look…I, uh…can I get a delivery? Two number twelves, a twenty-five, and two dri-yep…and…yeah, I have cash…thank you, Gina. See you soon.” She set her phone down, and raised her head to meet his confused gaze.

“What…was that?”

“I ordered dinner. Like I always do…”

                Nicky was flustered, and bewildered, and was trying her hardest not to show Loki that she didn’t know what she was doing. She could stand with the best of them at SHIELD, and by this point, she didn’t doubt her actions when she was given an order. But this was different. Nicky couldn’t change into her jeans and her T-shirt and just come home to try and relax. She couldn’t call it a day and be Nicky – she was still Agent Cole, and with this…stripped god in her home, she wasn’t going to stop being Agent Cole.

                And she had no idea how to act, or what to do.

                A smirk formed on his lips, as she averted her eyes and started down the hallway. Loki knew it, he could see it. There was no way an  _experienced_  Agent would offer to feed him anything good, not this early in his stay. And there she went, walking away and leaving him to himself in the living room. Not that she wasn’t paying attention – she paused, a few steps away, and turned to see him.

“Do I need to force you to follow me, or are you going to come willingly?” He parted his lips to answer, but took a breath, and decided against making an off-color remark as he followed her. After all, she was responsible for him now – he would have plenty of time to bend her until she broke. He might even enjoy the game.

                Meeting his eyes as she turned to face him, Nicky backed up a few more steps, and shoved open the door to her left, her fingers blindly flicking the switch as she held his gaze. The room lit up, drawing his attention inside. It was rather blank – off-white walls, a bed, a dresser, and a chair. Nothing remotely distinguished about it, there were no windows, and it made him scowl when she began to speak.

“This will be your room. I will lock you in at night, and let you out in the morning. There is an intercom on the wall, right here,” she said, curling her arm to tap against the black box secured into the wall above the light switch. “Press the big button, and just start talking – let off when you’re done. It’s linked all around the apartment.”

“So I truly am your prisoner.”

“Damn right you are. After the damage you’ve done, I’m not about to let you get away,” Nicky replied, forcing herself to not growl. “Bathroom is across the hall. I’m right next door,” she added, sucking down a hard breath as she motioned to the other doors. It was a short tour, seeing as she would have to teach him nearly everything about being human before he would know what half of the things in her apartment did, but it didn’t need to be long – as she started with him to the living room, a thumping sounded upon the door.

                The food was not what Loki had expected, considering he had expected her to have found a way to poison it before it arrived. He found it was actually rather good. The pair sat at the table, picking at the aluminum containers full of Chinese food, her stopping every so often to put the chopsticks back between his fingers. He chuckled, which surprised her, as the sticks teetered between his fingers before flopping onto the table.

“Oh, come on,” he murmured, grabbing the sticks roughly as she snickered.

“It’s fine if you want a fork – took me a few years to learn the sticks,” she said, hitching her knee against the table as she cocked the chair back on two legs to reach the strainer behind her. His eyes locked on her as she plucked out a single fork for him, and laid it on the table by his plate, thunking the chair back onto the ground. “There. Just…stab. The food,” she added quickly, as he smirked and wrapped his long fingers around the handle.

“Oh, right – the food. Meaning I can stab  _you_  later.”

“You stab me, I shoot you,” Nicky countered, not even batting an eye, as she popped a small bunch of rice between her lips. Loki smirked, before shaking his head and motioning behind them.

“How? Your weapon is in the other room, is it not?” Brow raised, Nicky lifted her head, and merely stared at him as she chewed. Her expression revealed nothing as she stared at him, and after a moment, he finally perked a brow, and shook his head. “Stop looking at me like that.”

“I always have a backup. Where it is, you won’t know until I need to fish it out,” Nicky voiced lightly, as if it were nothing.

“Are you actually ‘on duty’ all the time?” Loki questioned curiously, watching her shift and cross her legs beneath the table as she laid one chopstick down and speared the other through a piece of chicken.

“Never used to be. This sort of…changes things. Until I can be sure I can trust you, I’ll probably  _stay_  on duty,” Nicky admitted, her eyes falling to the container in front of her.

“You cannot honestly be planning to treat me like your captive the entire time I’m here,” Loki growled, stabbing the fork through a piece of pork in his container.

“I can, am, and will treat you however the hell I want.”

“So venomous. Did I destroy something you cared about, during my last stay? Oh…wait…allow me to guess – was his name…Phil?”

                With a sharp inhale, her foot shot out, and she knocked his chair back a bit, before she climbed to her feet.

“Get up.”

“What?”

“I’m sure you heard me, get  _out_  of that chair before I yank your ass out of it.” Loki tossed the fork into the near-empty container, and rose to his feet. Had she been anything less than fuming, even now, a few months after his death, she would have been intimidated by the fact that he  _loomed_  over her, so much taller than she fully realized during their last fight.

“Something the matter?”

                Scowling, her hand went up, and she gripped his neck roughly, forcing him back and down the hall.

“Don’t forget, Loki, you aren’t on Asgard anymore. I’ve got a leg up on you here,” she spoke, stopping in front of the open bedroom door. “Agent Coulson was a friend – and you are a murderer and a monster,” she snarled, shoving him into the room. “Goodnight.” With that, she slammed the door, and clicked the deadbolt before sidestepping to her room, and pressing a few buttons on the panel, ensuring that he wasn’t getting out without her permission.


	4. Chapter 4

                A monster.

                That word haunted Loki more than any other, and he found himself sitting just inside his room, head against the off-white wall, listening to Nicky in the hallway. Her voice faded in and out as she grumbled to herself, moving from the hall outside his room to the living room, and back to her own room. Loki knew it probably wouldn’t do any good, at least not at this point, to try and explain what happened. To explain that he wasn’t quite himself, not since he let go on the broken Bifrost.

                But maybe if he actually  _tried_. It couldn’t that hard, to try and learn what she was assigned to teach him, could it? She might actually warm up to him, might give him the chance to tell her that his mind was not his own, that he was still fighting away the darkness.

                But for now, Nicky was still fuming. At least, that’s how it sounded, as the door just down the wall slammed shut. That anger stuck with her, as an overtone, for quite a while.

*

                She was trying to get over it. Trying to do her job, teach Loki what it was like to be human. But damnit, she would have rather strung him up by his thumbs than explain how something like a computer worked. Using them? No problem, all day, every day. That was her guilty pleasure. But  _explaining_  them?

                Well, fuck.

                There was no way she’d be able to do that.

                Why couldn’t Tony do it? Or Bruce? They knew computers inside and out, although they probably would have needed a translator (or a buffer) to explain any of it to Loki.

*

                The days went on, much the same, with her releasing him from his room, and taking him room by room to start small. Why risk taking him out into the world so soon? If he got away from her, it would be her head.

                It took her a few weeks to feel comfortable enough to leave his door unlocked at night, though she still flicked the lock inside her own room, and ensured the rest of the apartment was locked up tight. Loki was, after all, still an  _assignment_ , and he had yet to prove he was trustworthy.

                Finally, after nearly two months of either keeping him locked up in the apartment, or holding him at her side between the apartment and her car, and her car and the SHIELD office if she went in – a rarity, seeing as Fury told her to be the judge of how the day feels – Nicky stepped out of her bedroom in real clothes. Nothing had a SHIELD logo or name written on it. Instead, it was blue jeans, with a studded design up one leg, and a plain black t-shirt, with matching sneakers on her feet, as she padded down the hall and peered in to see Loki seated in the kitchen, head resting on the table.

                It hadn’t taken him long to acclimate to coffee in the mornings, and tea in the evenings. And as it was morning, she knew what it was he was waiting for, and it made her giggle softly as he rolled his face against the wood tabletop to see her.

“…Loki?”

“Coffee…” he groaned, closing his eyes as he rolled his head back down. Her eyes shot towards the machine in the corner, empty and unlit, before it hit her – she had no coffee. The pot she made the morning before was it.

                A soft snicker passed her lips, and she walked over, thwacking her hand lightly on his shoulder as she passed to go to the sink.

“Get up, get dressed – we’re going out for coffee.”

“Where at…work?”

“No. You’ve been…” Nicky paused, and peered over her shoulder at him as she filled a small glass with water. “Well…honestly, you’ve been rather good. I haven’t had to threaten to shoot you in almost a month,” she snickered, hearing the chair creak behind her as he moved. “So I’m taking you out. Out, out. We’ll stop for coffee, and then I’ll take you somewhere to start showing you how other guys act…”

                As confident and sure as Nicky sounded in her plan for the day, she truly had no idea what the hell she was going to do. Coffee was one thing – her favorite place was just down the block, and there were no debates in her mind as to what she was going to get. But the rest of the day. What was she going to do, take him to a movie? A museum? She had no idea what guys usually did, aside from the guys at work, and that was because they were _always at work_.

                But she took a deep breath when she heard the chair move behind her, and peered back to see Loki disappearing down the hall.

“Come on, Miller, you have to answer,” she muttered, fumbling with the phone she’d slipped from her pocket. She scrapped her fingertip across the screen, and put the phone to her ear, sneaking to the corner to look down towards Loki’s room.

“Miller.”

“Quick question. You have the day off, the option to go anywhere and do whatever you want. What do you do?”

“…Cole?”

“Just answer the question.” He hemmed and hawed for a minute, thinking, before shrugging on the other end of the line.

“Hell if I know. Sleep?” he asked, prompting a low grumble.

“Are you a real man, Miller, or do you just pretend?” He hissed, and snickered.

“Ouch, Cole. Right in the feels. I don’t know, shit…I go to the gym.” Nicky’s eyebrow quirked up.

“Really? Why, are there lesser men there that you can beat?”

“I’m hanging up now, Cole, before you bruise my ego anymore.”

“Please, you have so much ego, I’ve barely scratched the sur-…gotta go,” she said quickly, moving back a few steps and hanging up on him as Loki came down the hall. Nicky finished the water in her glass, flipping it upside down and resting it in the sink, before she turned and stopped to look at him.

                Dark blue jeans clung to his hips, barely covered by a grey t-shirt, topped with a black jacket she had forced Miller to lend her until she could take him to buy clothes all his own. He actually looked human, and her cheeks flushed as she realized he looked  _good_.

                Clearing her throat, and catching his attention, she shifted her stance, and started for the door. A smirk formed on his lips, and he stuffed his hands into the pockets of the jeans as he eyed her form. Was she nervous?  _Her_? It was not something he thought he’d see, at least not so obviously, and he couldn’t help but move up behind her as she dug her keys from the drawer in the hall table. A surprised gasp passed her lips as she turned, and found him only a step away, that smirk still on his lips.

“…what are you doing?” she asked, swallowing hard as he raised a brow at her uncertainty, before shrugging, and falling back a step.

“Waiting on you, Agent Cole,” Loki answered simply, motioning to the door.

                Her heart thumped in her ears as she unlocked the door, and held it open for him, locking it behind them.

“…come on, then,” Nicky said lightly, clearing her throat and rubbing a hand against her shoulder as she took hold of his arm, and led him down the steps. She trusted him more, but she wasn’t going to give him the chance to get away – not on purpose, anyways.

                Before long, they were sitting in the coffee shop, her café mocha steaming as she rested her palm against the cup, his cappuccino already half gone. Smiling, Nicky leaned forward, and rested her chin on her hand, raising a brow as he sipped it again.

“I’m going to guess it tastes good.”

“Are you joking? This is like life’s nectar.” It took everything in her power not to laugh as he finished the drink. Pulling the now-empty cup towards her, she poured a bit of her drink into it, nudging it back towards him and smiling.

“Try that.” The look on his face said it all as he finished it, and nodded. “Good. Come on, then…we need to get you clothes,” she said, having thought about what they  _needed_  to do, as opposed to what he may have  _wanted_  to do.


	5. Chapter 5

                Fumbling slightly with the bags in her hands, Nicky forced her fingers into the pocket of her jeans, trying to reach her keys. Loki stood a few feet from her, holding two bags in one hand, the other hand stuffed into his pocket, with a silly smirk forming on his lips as he realized she couldn’t quite reach the keys resting in the very bottom of her pocket, the straps of the bags she held onto stopping her hand from slipping in any further.

“Do you need a hand?” Her head lifted, a sheepish smile on her lips, as she nodded and pulled her hand out of her pocket.

“Yeah…I can’t quite reach ‘em…although, I could ju-“ Her voice caught in her throat as his nimble fingers pulled from his pocket, and delved into her own, wiggling until they caught the ring. He curled his finger against her leg to keep the key ring in his grip, before he stopped, realizing she wasn’t moving, or breathing.

                Neither said a word as he shifted to meet her slightly panicked gaze. A major line was just crossed, and despite the look of panic, of  _confusion_  in her eyes, she couldn’t make her body function. She stared at him, not blinking, her attempts at making her body move getting her nowhere. She held her breath, until Loki finally, carefully, removed his hand, the keys dangling from his fingers.

“…breathe, Nicky…” The words hit her, and, as it wasn’t until that moment she became aware that she  _wasn’t_ , she sucked in a sharp breath, her entire face burning red as he held the keys out for her.

“Uh…t-t-t-thank you…” she stuttered, her body finally responding to her order to reach for them. He watched her, curiously, as she turned away, wishing she could just melt into the wall and vanish.

                Forcing a breath to try and steady her hand, she pushed the keys into the locks, turned them, and pushed the door open, nearly throwing the bags down as she retrieved the keys. Silently, Loki entered behind her, and watched from a few feet away as she yanked the keys out, thrusting the door shut once more.

                He had been doing so well, they both had been doing  _so well_ , and with a very simple, nonthreatening action, she was quickly aware how unprepared she was for any actual, nonviolent  _contact_. How in the world did she let Fury assign her this job? Being alone was what she was good at. She wasn’t used to people in her apartment, hell, she was barely used to being in her apartment, herself. But now, not only was she staying home as part of an assignment by the Director she was certain hadn’t even noticed her before, she was sharing her home with a god who had tried to wipe out New York as well as rule the world. A god who made her melt with nothing more than a glance and a smile.

“God help me,” she mumbled beneath her breath, thumping her head upon the door as she fumbled to lock it.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Nicky answered quickly, shifting and tucking her hair behind her ear. “You can…put those in your room…all of them,” she told him, avoiding looking at him as she left the bags where they were and started for her own room.

“Nicky?”

                She stopped abruptly, a few feet down the hall, and tilted her head slightly.

“…did you just call me Nicky?”

“That’s your name, isn’t it?”

“You’ve never called me Nicky. It’s been Agent Cole…or…Cole…” she told him, certain he was aware of it, but didn’t turn to see him. With a slight chuckle, Loki set his bag on the table, and took a few steps towards her, letting his hands touch her shoulders.

“You never seemed this panicked before,” Loki answered softly, unable to hide the smirk as her body tensed at his touch.

“Let me go, Loki,” she spoke, trying to keep her breath steady. His touch caused her heart to race and her breathing to shallow. He swallowed hard, knowing he should, but leaned towards her instead, his cheek brushing against her hair.

“Please relax…it isn’t as if I’m going to hurt you…by now you should know that.”

“…I didn’t say that was my fear…just let me go,” she repeated, and he could hear what it was in her voice. She wasn’t  _afraid_. She was nervous. His hands on her shoulders, his lips that close to her ear, made her skin perk with goosebumps, and her face blush.

“Nicky.” It wasn’t spoken – it was breathed, directly into her ear, and the audible whimper that fell from her mouth made him smile, and her grimace.

“Stop.”

“Just talk to me…please? I won’t hurt you.” How could his voice be so soft, and his touch so gentle, when the sound of him, the feel of him, was sending her into madness? Squeezing her eyes closed, Nicky shrugged her shoulders, and carefully pulled from him, trying to find the words to explain the hurt she was actually afraid of. When the right words didn’t come, she frowned, and ducked her head in a mixture of shame and fear.

“I really  _can’t_ , Loki…just…please put…put your things in your room…I need a few minutes…just…a few minutes, by myself…” she mumbled, shaking her head again as she found her footing, and entered her room. Before he could speak, she pushed the door closed, leaving it loosely caught on the frame as she flopped on the bed, her back to the door.

                The apartment was quiet, and uncomfortable, by the time she walked out of the room. It was much more than “a few minutes” – more like, an hour – when she nudged her door open, and peered around.

“…Loki?”

“…yeah?”

“Where are you?”

“Living room…”

                Nodding, she padded down the hall, her hands in her pockets, hearing the sounds from the television. It had been one of the first things she showed him, since she was sure it would be a big source of entertainment. She was right – he loved watching it. He had even started scouring through her movie collection, enjoying everything he had watched so far, including Citizen Kane and Rebel Without A Cause. As she walked into the room, her eyes found Humphrey Bogart upon the screen, a cigarette hanging from his lips, as he balled up his fist in Peter Lorre’s face.

“Maltese Falcon…this is a good one,” she commented softly, motioning towards the film.

“…so far, I agree.” Short replies, his voice low – Nicky could tell he was still put off by her reaction earlier, and, with a sigh, she crossed the floor to sit beside him on the couch.

“I’m sorry…for before…” The feeling of his eyes on her made her blush a little, but she didn’t look up – she found her hands much more fascinating, as they curled in her lap.

“It was not my intent, to scare you away.” A soft chuckle passed her lips, and she shook her head to stop him. A frown formed on his lips at the sound, but he waited to hear what she was laughing at.

“You didn’t…well…I mean…not just you. The  _only_  men in my life are the other agents at SHIELD. I’m not used to having one in my home…” she admitted, shrugging. Raising a brow, Loki reached his hand out, pausing the movie so he could turn to see Nicky. “You putting your hand in my pocket…caught me very off guard. I was just going to say I could set the bags down, get the key myself, I  _never_  thought you’d…”

“I’m…sorry.” She snapped her head up at the words, rather surprised that he  _apologized_ , before blinking a few times, and blushing at her own reaction, hearing him laugh at the sight of her shock. “Yes…I said I was sorry. Honestly, I wasn’t thinking about it – I just offered you a hand, and when you nodded, I…gave you my hand.”

                The tenseness melted a bit as he smiled over at her, and, biting her bottom lip, she smiled back, lifting her eyes to the screen again.

“So, um…are you hungry? I could order something in?” she offered, as he shook his head, and leaned back on the couch.

“No…not yet…do…you want to watch with me?”

“Sure,” Nicky answered, leaning back on the couch with him, their shoulders a few inches apart, as he hit PLAY, and the movie picked up where it had been left off.


	6. Chapter 6

                The door creaked slightly as she nudged it open, and peered in at Loki. He was sprawled out on his bed, the blanket wrapped around one leg as his other dangled off the bed, fast asleep. Smiling, she closed the door, and stared at the lock for a moment, before, with a shake of her head, she turned, and headed back to her own room. He had been there five months, and had been assault-free for nearly three – he earned the right to have his door left unlocked. Besides, he wasn’t making her uncomfortable anymore. To her surprise, he was being really nice – something she didn’t let go by without making a mental note.

 It was still semi-dark out, but sleep was escaping her – clearly finding solace with Loki – so instead of fighting it, she disarmed and unlocked her window, hoisting it up against the frame and climbing out onto the fire escape. Taking a breath, and scrunching her face to stifle a yawn, Nicky leaned against the railing, clasping her hands, and staring out ahead of her.

“I hope you can trust him not to run.” Every swear word she had ever learned tried to fly off her tongue at the sudden voice, and she jumped, jerked, spun, swallowing every last one as she sucked down a hard breath at the sight of Fury a few feet from her, rounding the curve from the stairs.

“Sir,” she finally answered, nodding. Nicky never concerned herself with how her pajamas looked – she was certain no one would ever see them – but here she stood, barefoot on the cold, metal escape, in a pair of dingy sweats and a wrinkled tank top, with bedhead, feeling fully exposed and ugly. “Um…he’s been doing well. No fights. No threats. No problems,” she added, raising her hands to flatten her hair back into a ponytail. Fury watched her for a moment, before peering through the open window, and nodding.

“Where is he now?”

“Sleeping. Checked before I came outside.”

“Does he know this window opens?”

“No sir. He’s sure all of the windows are locked, barred, and armed,” she assured him, taking a step towards the window. “I’m surprised at his progress, sir…he is more familiar with electronics now…with popular culture…and I’ve begun taking him out to show him the rest of the world…” She shook her head as Fury raised his brow. “Not the  _world_. I mean…”

“I know what you meant,” he interrupted, before shifting, and meeting her eye. “Have the others been keeping their word?” Fury asked, and she smiled a bit as she nodded.

“Rogers stopped in last week…Barton the week before that…Romanoff a few days ago…and Stark came by yesterday during lunch,” she answered, recalling him literally stopping for five minutes while they were out eating. He nodded, peering back through the window, before turning away from her.

“Keep in touch, Cole,” Fury told her, before he retreated down the stairs to the vehicle waiting below. She didn’t move for a moment, waiting to hear the vehicle drive off, before she climbed back in the window.

The hardwood of her room was chilled from the cool air drifting in the window, but she wiggled her toes, rearmed and relocked the window, and lowered her body to the bed. Nicky never needed to lay down, to close her eyes, to know if she was able to sleep. Simply sitting upon the bed gave her the answer, and, after a few seconds and a heavy sigh, she pushed herself from the mattress, reluctantly shuffling down the hall to the couch.

“Come on, sleep…” she mumbled to herself, flopping onto the end of the couch and tugging her knees up to her chest. “I would like to rest, too…”

                After a minute, she heard the door open down the hall, and listened as his feet scuffed upon the floor. For a few seconds, she held her breath, wondering if he was coming out to join her, before she heard the bathroom door close.

“At least he closes the door,” she chuckled, blushing instantly at the thought, and burying her face in her knees. With a sigh, and a slight shift, she laid her head back upon the couch, and closed her eyes. If she couldn’t sleep in bed, she would at least sit out here in the silence, and hope for sleep to find her.

                There were no sounds until the couch depressed beside her, a small exhale catching her ear. Opening one eye, she peered over, and saw Loki sitting beside her in the dark, a blanket in his hands.

“Loki?” He looked up at her, a little surprised she was awake, before smiling sleepily, and nodding.

“You looked a little cold…thought you might want this…” he whispered, as though there was anyone else to wake, before moving the blanket over her legs.

“Oh…um…thank you…” She smiled at him, and started to lean her head back as she held the blanket.

“Trouble sleeping?”

“Big time.” A grunt passed her lips as Loki scooted her over to the middle cushion, and lowered his body into the end seat, before she instinctively went rigid as his hand snaked around her shoulders.

“I won’t hurt you,” he promised, guiding her head to his shoulder. “But you need to sleep. If you can’t like this, then I’ll head back to bed. If you can, I’ll stay right here.” Nicky was desperate to ask where this sweetness was coming from, this complete gentlemanly action, but as her head rested upon his shoulder, she found her eyelids growing heavy, and, with a nod, drifted to sleep beneath his arm, against his body, with a blanket tucked around her legs.

                When morning arrived, she was curled up against Loki, her head resting against his shoulder, one side of the blanket now tucked beneath one of her legs, the other side of the blanket hooked between his knees, where her other leg rested. He still had an arm behind her, between her body and the couch, but they had effectively shifted so his head was nestled in the corner where the arm of the couch met the back. They were both fast asleep when her phone sounded, TAPS blaring from the table a few feet away.

                A loud, frightened swear flew off her lips as she jerked at the sound, and sat upright, gasping for air. Scrambling from the couch, she grunted as her body dropped to the floor, and laid still, eyes darting about.

“What the fuck?!” she groaned, completely baffled by the sudden floor on her back. As the song began playing again, she started to remember why she wasn’t in her bed, and, with a whimper, she patted a hand around on the coffee table. She finally thumped her finger on the screen, silencing the music, before dropping her head back on the carpet. “…I have to change that song.”

“Yes you do,” sounded a muffled voice from the couch.

                Raising a brow, she rolled her head, and peered up through her mess of hair to see part of Loki’s face poking over the edge of the cushion. His body shifted as he moved his arm up, and tucked his wild locks behind his ear, leaving them to partially cover the half of his mouth she could see. She smiled a bit, seeing the corner of his eye crinkle as he returned the smile.

“One day. One day I forget to shut my alarm off, and I was actually  _really_  comfortable,” Nicky admitted, pressing her elbow into the floor to push herself onto her side.

“So was I…I’m glad you were able to sleep,” Loki told her, shifting and rolling onto his back. She smiled up, before grunting as she sat up. Her hair hung around her face, messy and unkempt, as she leaned her back against the table, and closed her eyes.

“Me too…um…thank you…for being my pillow.” It was a slightly sheepish smile that formed on her lips as he looked at her, but he flashed a still-tired smiled back at her with a nod, even knowing she wasn’t looking.

“You’re welcome, Nicky.”

                The pair sat quietly in the living room, her head tilted back, him stretched out on the sofa, until a soft rumbling sounded from her stomach, echoed by the rumble from his. Both started to laugh, and she shifted her knees onto the floor, twisting around until she was standing by the couch.

“Come on…let’s get dressed, we’ll go out for breakf-…um…lunch,” she corrected, realizing the clock on the wall was ticking over 11:47. Loki bent a bit, peering up at the clock, before smiling and nodding. Sticking out her hand, she took a firm grasp as he reached out, and helped him to his feet. Ducking her head, she caught the blanket that was hanging around him, and folding it over her arm, not even noticing the grin forming on his lips.

“Lunch. Where at?” he asked, shifting his hips so she could reach around him and put the blanket down. Standing up, she met his gaze, and bit down upon her bottom lip, smiling before stepping back to grab her phone.

“Anywhere. I’m going to let you choose,” she finally answered, slipping down the hall. “But you have to get dressed!” she called out, smiling as the door closed behind her. Chuckling, Loki climbed to his feet, and ran his fingers through his hair on his way back to his bedroom.

                The nervousness she felt, the tension in her body when he got close to her, was a rarity anymore, and they both knew it. They didn’t let it stop anything. She had become comfortable in his presence, she didn’t wonder if he was going to try and hurt her. After she dressed, and joined him back in the hall, she even bobbed her head forward and moved her hair off her neck as he draped an arm around her shoulder.

“What was that place you ordered from a few nights ago? That…Chinese place?” A smile formed, and she nodded, plucking her keys off the counter top.

“Number One,” she answered, as they pulled the door closed, and she turned to lock up. “Good call, Loki, that actually sounds really good.” Even though she considered returning the embrace, putting her arm around his waist, she couldn’t, and, instead, she stuffed her hands into her pockets, leading him the opposite direction of the stairs to use the elevator. “And after lunch…we can go see a movie…that’s something you haven’t done yet, and I promise it will be fun. And then…let’s see…well, we’re running low on food here, so we’ll go get groceries – not really fun, but necessary – and pick up something to do tonight. Maybe a game or something, ‘cause there are a lot of board games and things that you should at least know  _of_  before you’re…completely acclimated.” Loki snickered a little, and nodded his head.

“That sounds good…you know, Nicky…” he started, moving into the box and pressing the button for the first floor, “if I didn’t know any better…I would say you’re more like my friend than my guard.”

                Her entire face burned as she blushed, and chuckled, before she shrugged. With his arm around her, it was hard to stand upright, or lean away, but she had no objections with leaning into his body. He was tall. He was warm. And he had been incredibly  _good_  the past couple of months. There was nothing she worried about, with regards to him getting away, or hurting her, or anything, but she hadn’t really  _thought_  about what they were.

                Friends?

                Were they friends?

                Shifting against his arm, she tilted her head to see him, and shrugged once more.

“Uh…you know…Loki…I think we kind of are…but I’m still your guard,” Nicky added quickly, smiling as he laughed. “That can’t be overlooked.”

“Oh, yeah, no, of course not. But we are friends. You aren’t scared of me, and I don’t know about you, but I have fun with you.”

                It was like her entire blood supply was focused directly on her face as she ran a hand against her cheek and around her neck. What the hell was going on, why was she getting so flustered at the idea of being friends with Loki?

“…I have fun with you too…” she finally admitted, lowering her eyes to the door as the elevator dinged, and the doors slid open.


	7. Chapter 7

                The door swung closed before she put the keys back in the locks and clicked each lock. Behind her, Loki sat their bags down, emptying the stack of games onto the table, as she slipped around behind him, and put the pizza box on the table top.

“Alright, let’s see…” Nicky started, tossing her keys onto the counter. “Why don’t we start with…some food, and I’ll show you Operation…Monopoly…and Twister. That sound good?” she asked, already digging a roll of paper towels out of the cabinet. “And tomorrow…tomorrow, we have to go grocery shopping,” she laughed, shaking her head. After grabbing the games, neither felt much like getting real food, so she suggested pizza – and who would turn that down?

“That sounds good. I have the games.”

“I have the food,” Nicky replied, grinning, picking up the box, and following him into the living room.

                The box was sitting open on the table, half the pizza gone, when they finished their first game of Monopoly. Smirking, Nicky plucked her piece, the top hat, off the board, and leaned back on the couch.

“Maybe next time you’ll win, Loki,” she teased, as he snickered and rolled his eyes. “Which game do you want to play next?” He turned his head to see the boxes beside the table, before plucking Twister off the stack, and dropping it into her lap.

“Let’s go with this one.”

“Good choice.”

                Her hands pushed into the couch, giving herself the leverage to stand, and she left the game piece on the cushion as she stepped to the other side of the table.

“Alright…this one is pretty easy. Here’s the mat…” she said, opening the box and spreading the dotted mat upon the floor. “There is a spinner…you spin it before each turn, and it tells us where we put our hands or our feet. The trick is keeping our hands and feet on the board. We can’t move off the board with the exception of flicking the spinner.”

“That sounds…like we’re going to be doing a lot of twisting, do we do this together?”

“Yep…” she smiled, setting the spinner on the floor by the board. “Now get your butt over here so we can start.”

                It was like a contortionist show. Loki was bent backwards on the board, positioned perfectly for a spider walk. Nicky had her both her arms on one side of his body, one foot between his feet, the other on the other side of him, her butt in the air to make the position a bit easier to hold.

“Alright…my turn…” she said softly, shifting her weight to her right hand so her left could reach the spinner by his head. As it slowed, it landed on Left Hand Blue. She told him the color and body part, but as her eyes landed on the board, she found the only blue she could reach to be just above his head. “Don’t…move…” Nicky asked, shifting slightly to lay her hand upon the circle by his head. Snickering, and shifting his own weight, Loki reached a hand for the spinner, flicking the pointer blindly.

“What’s it say?” Her eyes peered over his shoulder, and she glanced at him, blushing.

“Right foot green…oh come on, really?” she asked. “I’m good, but I’m not a contortionist.”

“Too bad, it’s the rule,” Loki teased, making her laugh, and tense up.

“Don’t make me laugh, I’ll fall.”

“And then I’ll win!” he exclaimed, sliding his foot beneath her to find a green spot.

“No you won’t!” she giggled, attempting to rest her body weight on her hands and left foot as she started to raise her right foot.

She heard his breath catch as his foot kept sliding, and when she raised her head to see him, her foot slipped, as well. Within seconds, they were flat on the floor, her sprawled across his chest, laughing as they tried to untangle their limbs.

“Cheater!”

“I did not cheat! I slipped!”

“ _Sure_  you did,” she snorted, blushing as she pressed her face into his shirt to try and get her hands flat on the mat.

“Cheating is supposed to make you win, not lose – I hit the ground first,” Loki pointed out, through a laugh and a shake of his head.

“…technicality,” Nicky answered, a grin on her face as she got a grasp on the mat, and pushed herself up above him.

                She was still slipping on the mat as she tried to leverage her feet against the carpet, just to get to her knees. With a smile on his lips, Loki slid his hips, and moved his hands to her sides, holding her up so she could get her body steady on her knees.

“Thank you,” her voice sounded, as she put her chin to her chest to make sure she didn’t kick him as her knees dropped to the floor. Her hands were resting on the mat on either side of his body as she lifted her head to meet his eyes.

                For a moment, neither spoke, but just smiled at each other as they caught their breath. Twister was, after all, not very easy to play. But his hands stayed upon her sides, keeping her steady, as they watched each other. A small urge started in Loki’s mind, making his fingers twitch slightly against her shirt. It didn’t go unnoticed, and she raised a brow, tilting her head some as she tried to see. Taking a breath, he removed one hand from her side, lifting it to her cheek. Her breath caught in her throat at the touch, but her eyes fluttered, and her heart thumped, as he began to guide her face towards his. His eyes held hers until she drew near enough for him to close his eyes, and press his lips softly against hers.

                It sent a rush of warmth across her body, as well as his, at the contact. Her heart beat so loudly, she was certain he could hear it. But as his head tilted, as he started to part his lips to deepen the kiss, a soft whimper sounded from her throat, and she pulled back, eyes squeezed closed. The contact remained on her cheek, his hand not moving as he thumped his head back upon the mat, opening his eyes to see her.

“Are you alright?” Loki asked, the concern evident as he looked at her expression. Nicky couldn’t stop from shaking her head as she tried to steady her breathing and sit up.

“Um…I…” There was pure confusion, uncertainty, all over her face, and in her eyes, as she caught the table to help her stand. “…Loki, I…”  The words she wanted were gone, and she stood there for a few seconds, looking like a completely exposed nerve, before closing her eyes, and turning away from him. “I’m gonna just…just go…” She trailed, not adding ‘my room’, as she started away from him and down the hall.

“Nicky? Wait, wait, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…” he fumbled, scrambling to his feet and moving out of the living room. The words didn’t reach her, or at least didn’t mean anything, as she turned into her room and closed the door behind her, her body trembling with every step. “…damn…” he mumbled, breathing out a deep, dejected sigh.

                Nicky didn’t come back out of her room. She couldn’t. She was lying, instead, on her bed, the only light coming from the lamp beside the bed. What was her problem? Every time Loki tried to touch her, hug her,  _be good with her_ , she couldn’t take it, she ran away. She ran away from everything. Repeated swears passed her lips as she shook her head, unable to believe how scared she really was.

“No wonder you’re so alone,” she murmured, burying her face in her pillow.

                Loki sat in the living room, occasionally getting up to pick up. First it was the pizza, which he stuffed into the fridge before returning to the couch. After a bit, he finally moved to pick up the Twister game, folding it back into the box they had tossed to the wall. He didn’t want to have time to think, he wanted to just get over it.

                But her taste was still on his lips. The way she felt, still on his fingertips. He couldn’t shake the feeling that bubbled beneath the surface, the want for her. Five months sleeping just down the hall from Nicky, five months trying to make sure she wasn’t afraid of him, he had just made himself believe they were, as they decided on the way out hours before,  _friends_.

                This was more than friendly. It had to be. It was his heart, beating in his throat. He needed her with him, he needed to have her for himself. Not to be selfish, he reminded himself – he just  _needed_  her. Five months ago, he was left on Earth, left with nothing but a shell of who he had always been, in the possession of an agent from the very group he tried to destroy from the inside out. Five months ago he hated himself, and everyone around him, including her, including Thor –  _everyone_. But she gave him a place to live, she fed him, she was teaching him some amazing things about being human. She showed him what it was like to be human, despite how angry she’d been with him for what he’d done. And he was only just now letting himself think about it, as he leaned his elbows on his knees, and rubbed his hands into his face.

“Stop this, Loki…” he grumbled to himself, certain that, after what happened, she wouldn’t be able to look him in the eye. She had to be trying to talk to Fury, trying to get out of this assignment, considering she’d been in her room for so long. Two hours, he noted, as he looked towards the clock. “You don’t deserve her…”   Loki muttered.

It almost startled him, how sharply he brought his hand up to thwack himself in the forehead, and scowled at himself. Glancing over his shoulder towards the hallway, he took a deep breath, and put his hands into the cushion on either side of his legs.

“…to hell with this…” he mumbled, forcing himself to his feet, and making his way down the hall.

                The doorknob was cold under his sweaty palm, but, with another breath, he pushed the door open, seeing her lying upon the bed. She didn’t hear the door open, but she did hear the footsteps as he entered the room, and the thud as the door closed. Shifting, her eyes saw him a few feet from her bed, and she pushed herself to her feet, struggling to get her hands over her pale face and red eyes.

“Lok-“ He didn’t let her even get his name out, as he crossed the room in two long strides, cupped his hand against her cheek, and bowed his head, capturing her lips in another warm, gentle kiss.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is from riddlemetitillatedhiddles, and is all about sex.   
> So, MAJOR nsfw!

                Nicky could barely think, the wave of conflicting emotions rushing through her. She was scared, knowing this went against everything she was taught. Her responsibilities, to SHIELD and Fury, forced her to keep her feelings separated. And she’d never truly let anyone in before. Not until Loki. It had happened so gradually, she hadn’t even noticed until today. But she was so lonely, and Loki…

                Loki’s gentleness, his willingness to try, the way he had embraced his new existence despite the difficulty, all of it had broken down every bit of armor Nicky had. She could not resist. Not this time. She did not want to.

                “Nicky,” he said softly, urgently, his eyes begging for understanding. He looked so nervous; he looked so  _human_.

                Loki wanted Nicky to understand everything. How grateful he was to her for being there for him, for being patient, for not giving up on him. For forgiving him. For trusting him. These were things that had never been offered him before. Not without conditions. But Nicky offered it unconditionally, and finally Loki was able to begin to do something he had once thought impossible. He was able to begin to forgive himself. And he wanted Nicky to know. “Thank you.”

                It was such a simple statement. But coming from Loki it was anything but, and she knew it. She knew how difficult it was for him, and how Loki’s entire worldview had been turned upside down. Nicky’s heart melted, and her uneasiness began to fade.

                She didn’t say anything, she simply leaned in and, this time, she kissed him. Every feeling she’d suppressed rose to the surface as Loki kissed her back, his lips enveloping hers. He wrapped his arms around her waist, hands sliding under her shirt, fingers against her bare skin. Slowly, he pulled her shirt off, then paused, meeting Nicky’s eyes.

                His green eyes seemed so much clearer now, and Nicky felt her inhibitions gradually wash away. She wanted to give him everything. Reaching her arm behind her back, she unclasped her bra and tugged the straps down past her shoulders without letting it fall. As she clutched it to her naked breasts, her eyes shifted to the side for a moment, and Loki noticed, finally.

                “You’ve never…”

                She shook her head before he could get the words out, her revelation making the day’s events so much more poignant. Now that he knew, Loki couldn’t believe he had been so obtuse. It was obvious; the nervousness and the embarrassment, her awkwardness at his touch. The reaction to his kiss…

                Nicky was still a virgin.

                Loki was overcome with tenderness, but also desire. This completely pure, untouched creature before him ignited his lust, and it was a different kind of lust. Not the kind of lust he felt on Asgard. This was… deeper. Stronger.  _Human_  lust. It was so overpowering, as it rose inside him, filling him up until he thought he would burst.

                He reached out, tilting her chin up and forcing her to meet his gaze. Tears glistened in her eyes and her bottom lip trembled. Loki removed his own shirt, then pulled her closer to him, their lips close but not touching. Nicky’s hands fell to her sides, the bra falling to the floor along with her reservations, and she pressed her naked chest to his.

                Their lips met as Loki lowered Nicky to the bed, one hand at the nape of her neck, one at her chest. She was already flushed, the arousal evident in the heat of her skin, the little exhalations each time their lips parted. Moving his lips to her neck, he trailed down to her breasts, his tongue flitting against her nipples. Her back arched, hips pushing into him, Loki moved his hands down to the waistline of her pants, then following with his mouth, wanting to taste every inch of her, everything that she was.

                “Can I?” Nicky could hear the change in Loki’s voice, a hint deeper, lustful. He looked up at her, then took her hand in his. “It’s okay, I mean, if…”

                “I want to, Loki. I want it to be you.” She smiled, a tiny smile, but Loki felt it, everywhere. He helped her take her pants off, then her panties, and touched his fingers along her body. Loki wanted to drink her in, memorize her form, every curve, every freckle.

                “You are so beautiful, Nicky.” She blushed now. Nicky had never even had a serious boyfriend, let alone one that saw her completely naked. And Loki… Loki used to be a god, and he was calling her beautiful. Her heart swelled, and all the blood rushed to her thighs.

                Loki drew his fingers down, past her abdomen, just grazing her clitoris. Nicky gasped, but he persisted, moving his thumb against it gently, inviting her, begging her. As she began to move her body in concert with his ministrations, Loki moved his other hand to her center, pushing one finger gingerly into her as he continued to rub her clitoris with his other. It fascinated him how her body moved, so raw and unhinged. It was all so different. So exciting.

                Loki kissed along her ribcage, still coaxing her with his fingertips, then moved his lips down to her abdomen. Just pausing at her hipbone, his tongue swirled little arabesques on her skin. Nicky’s hips rose from the bed and Loki moved further down, his lips against her thighs, until finally tasting her sweetness. Sucking her swollen bud tenderly, he watched as she lost herself under his touch.

                Loki’s mouth and fingers began to work in concert, bringing her closer and closer to the edge. Nicky could feel it building, and as Loki’s speed increased, she started to moan, her finger resting along her mouth, her tongue along her bottom lip. It was overwhelming. She knew what it was, but she didn’t  _know,_  and the moment it happened, her whole body unfurled, her mind following suit. “Loki, oh… my…  _god_ …” Nicky’s breathing quickened as the orgasm came over her, until she was gasping, her mouth agape, her head pushed back. Behind her eyelids she saw fireworks exploding in little bursts of light and color, sparking surges through her entire body, every nerve seemingly connected to her throbbing clitoris.

                Watching her stomach twitch, watching her limbs quiver, Loki knew she was in the throes of passion. He wanted to give her this, give her something back. But he wanted, too. As she began to relax, he laid back down beside her, rubbing his cheek against hers and pulling her near. His excitement was now more than obvious, and he pressed his growing bulge to her nakedness, the desire exquisite and torturous.

                Nicky wrapped her arms around his taut form, tentatively caressing his skin. She allowed her fingers to light along his flesh, down to his hips, holding him close to her. Loki smiled at her uncertainty, and hugged her tightly before leaning back to take off his own pants.

                Nicky couldn’t believe this was happening, but she knew it was all she wanted at this moment. Loki moved back up towards her, his hands between her legs once again. Kissing her warmly, he searched her eyes for doubt. He knew he couldn’t control himself for long. It hadn’t been long since Loki became human, he was unpracticed in pretty much everything, but controlling these urges, both physical and emotional, felt impossible to him. “Are you sure?” He asked her, breathlessly, worried silently she might say no.

                “Yes.” She barely had the words out when his tongue was against her lips, and she kissed him back, now longing to feel him inside. She spread her legs as Loki moved on top of her, and suddenly she was terrified and comforted all at once. He placed himself at her now-wet entrance and started to press into her, his muscles stiffening as he struggled with self-control.

                “Okay?”

                Nicky nodded and Loki breathed unevenly against her mouth, occasionally glancing his lips across hers. He continued, further, until he could feel Nicky’s muscles tighten suddenly, and she cried out softly. But he couldn’t stop. The desire was now all-encompassing, such an alien feeling to be so uncontrolled. This feeling… it enveloped him and he just couldn’t stop pushing into her, so wet now yet so tight, unlike anything he’d ever felt before, he just couldn’t stop until he was buried deeply within her.

                She hid her face against his shoulder while occasionally little droplets of whimpers would fall from her lips. It excited him. Not that he was hurting her, but that she was giving him this gift of herself, this gift that nobody else would ever have. And Loki had never felt so special. No-one had ever treated him like this, as a human or a god.

                Nicky tried to breathe through the sharp pain. And Loki’s face… he may have been stripped of his powers, he may have been made into a human, but he looked nothing short of a god to her. His head tilted backward, the curve of his throat, his Adam’s apple straining against his skin. “ _Oh_ ,” she thought to herself, “ _he’s just glorious…_ ”

                He began to pull back out, just barely, then sliding into her again. At first his rhythm uneven, as he strove desperately to control himself, but gradually building until he was thrusting into her, fast and hard. Nicky just tried to hold on, her breath ragged, her brow moist with perspiration.

                “I’m sorry, I can't…” Loki could barely hear the little cries escaping from her lips. He groaned, his hips pounding against hers, until his eyes began to roll back in his head. The pressure so intense, his body vibrated, until finally, he came with a violent shudder. “Nicky… ” He collapsed against her, panting, still pushing almost imperceptibly into her as his orgasm faded. Loki had never felt anything so real. He felt suddenly so vulnerable and yet incredibly alive.

                They didn’t speak. There was no need. At that moment, everything between them was clear and perfect. They just clutched at each other, lips pressed together, as the whole world seemed to drift away. Neither had ever felt so complete.


	9. Chapter 9

                With a sharp inhale, Nicky’s eyes shot open, and she stared out ahead of her into the darkness of her room. For a moment, she had no idea where she was, until the soft glow of her clock came into focus. It was the same clock she had for years – almost everything she ever owned had an upgrade since she started at SHIELD, but that little clock was stilling fighting on, even with it only saying 11:5° DM, with the stem of the “P” and the bottom of the last number long burned out. Her eyes lowered, and she shifted, letting out a soft breath as she realized that, while she was in her room, something was very different.

                There was a warmth behind her, and draped across her hips, and, with a raised brow, she shifted, rolling onto her back only to instantly burn at the sight of Loki, fast asleep beside her.

                Of course.

                That absolutely magnificent specimen, of a human or a god, was sound asleep with his head on her pillow, his arm still draped protectively over her waist, as he held her near him. As she began to wake more, becoming more aware of herself, and her surroundings, she felt the tingling between her legs at the mere sight of him, the mere thought back to what led them to share her bed in the first place.

                It made her smile, so sweetly, and scoot a little closer, nestling her head against his shoulder. Loki’s breathing was steady, warm against her ear, and it made her blush a bit more as she hesitantly pressed her lips to his skin. The pressure on her hip adjusted as he shifted beneath the blanket, rolling his head slightly and opening his eyes.

“…Nicky?”

“…did I wake you?” Her voice was soft, with a lacing of guilt, and he couldn’t help but smile sleepily down at her as she tilted her head to see him in the dark.

“It’s okay…” His fingers trailed up her back, meeting her shoulder as he bowed his head to place a soft cool kiss on her lips. “…are you alright?” Her face burned as she nodded, her eyes half closed as his scent hit her. It was warm, and intoxicating, and she brushed her lips against his once more, unable to resist the urge to taste him again.

“You?”

“I’m perfect…”

                Loki traced a light design across her shoulder, over her neck, covering her in goosebumps as a chill ran down her spine. Instinctively, she giggled against his lips, feeling his curl into a smile as he kissed her again. How could this moment, this embrace, have stayed so impeccable? As wonderful as it was, as glorious as it felt, there had been the tiniest concern in the back of both their minds that, upon waking, this image would shatter. But it didn’t, they were curled up in each other’s arms, covered in her down blanket, him dotting another kiss on her lips as she blushed more, and dragged her nails across his skin, still completely overwhelmed by each other. Pulling back lightly, and resting his head against hers, Loki smiled, and partially closed his eyes. She closed her eyes completely as she reveled in the embrace.

“…Nicky…”

“Hm?”

“…I love you.” Her eyes opened, a brow quirked, as she tilted her head to see him. For a few seconds, she watched him, not sure she heard him right, but as he tilted his head to see her, concern beginning to form on his face, Nicky nestled her head completely against his chest, giving him a squeeze that made him chuckle.

“…I love you too, Loki.”

                His heart swelled, and he tilted his head, burying his lips in her hair. He would have never thought, never considered, never even  _imagined_  that his punishment, being sent to Earth and turning Human, would ever have a good outcome. And yet, here he was, with his arms around Nicky, completely  _happy_  for the first time in such a long time. And he knew, by the way she kissed his shoulder, the way she grasped him about the waist to keep him close, that she felt the same.

                Neither were in any rush to move, to get up, to let go, but the air was dry, the room was still, and Loki, swallowing hard, sheepishly peered down at her.

“I need a drink.” She snickered, and moved off his arm, kissing his cheek.

“Then go get some water…I’ll wait right here.”

“Good…” he whispered, planting a light kiss on her cheek before he stood, tugged his pants on, and headed out of the room. Smiling shyly, Nicky shifted upon the bed, resting her head in the pillow he had used, taking a very deep breath of the fabric that smelled like him. It made her blush, and her fingers gripped the blanket tightly around her body, shifting to get more comfortable in her place.

                A soft thud caused her to open her eyes, and peer around the room.

“Loki?”

                There was no answer, but after a few seconds, there was another thud, and she started to sit up, to look around, before she saw it.

                Or, rather, him.

                Fury was standing on the fire escape, his back to the window, hands clasped behind him.

                Nicky’s breath caught in her throat, and even though it took a moment for her brain to get the signals to her body, she finally scrambled from the bed, dressing as quickly as she could before moving to the window. The bars were cool beneath her hands as she tugged them out of their place in front of the glass, and the window slid up, thunking as it latched open.

“Director?” she asked, confusion evident in her voice.

“Agent Cole. Everything alright?” Raising a brow, she swung her leg out the window, carefully climbing onto the escape with a grunt.

“Everything is fine…why?”

“We’ve been trying to reach you for hours…is there a reason you haven’t answered your phone?” He didn’t sound angry – maybe put off, for having to come out, but not angry. The blush still hit her as she peered into the room at her phone, and shrugged.

“I’ve had it on, I’m not sure what happened…is there something wrong?” she asked, turning to see him facing her.

“You need to bring Loki in, so we can gauge his progression since arriving on Earth. If he’s doing well enough, you’ll start coming back into SHIELD. If not…we’re going to enlist another agent to he-“

                The entire world screeched to a halt when Loki called out to her from the other side of her bedroom door.

“Are you hungry, Nicky? I just remembered we had pizza left ove-“ The words fell, unfinished, when he stepped into the doorway with the pizza box, and saw that, while the  _room_  was empty, both Nicky and Fury were on the escape. Fury had turned his head to see Loki, clad only in his pants, but Nicky couldn’t look. She paled, well aware of what was coming as Fury straightened his back, and eyed her.

“I think we have a situation here, Agent Cole…”

*

                The room was chilly, as Nicky sat at the table, her arms around her legs, clutching her knees to her chest. She had already received an earful from Fury, as well as members of the Council, for what she did with Loki. God, she fought. She fought tooth and nail not to say a word, but it was like they just  _knew_ , and whether she admitted it or not, they were taking him away. Nicky tried to reason with Fury, but he was furious, fuming, and cut her off by forcing her back into her chair.

                The door was locked, and she was not allowed leave, but she could, as if to torture her, watch while the guards led Loki passed the viewing window. She almost missed him, but her puffy, red, tear-brimmed eyes lifted as the guards came into view, and she scrambled to her feet, laying her hands against the glass.

“Please, Director…don’t do this…” she begged, as Fury watched Loki and the guards, purposefully avoiding seeing her at all.

“He’ll be reassigned to Miller,” Fury spoke, ignoring her pleas. Loki turned his head, slowed his step, as he saw her at the window, and the two shared a saddened look, as she tried to mouth  _I’m Sorry_  without tearing up more. He shook his head, adding  _Not your fault_ , before the guards yanked him around the corner, out of sight.

“Miller will kill him.”

“Miller won’t be taken advantage of – he will resist and deny any and all advances Loki can possibly make to distract him.” A soft growl sounded, and she instantly blushed, but turned her head.

“He wasn’t…trying to distract me.” It was a statement of fact, and she was so sure of herself, but Fury finally turned his head, bringing her into his view, a scowl on his face.

“Loki is a murderer, and incredibly unstable. He was born with a silver tongue, and has always been…ill-behaved. You saw his file. You know what I’m talking about. He did what he does best, and pulled the wool over your eyes.”

“Stop it, he did not. Loki has been  _amazing_  as far as prisoners go, he wasn’t misle-“

“You’re dismissed…but you are not allowed to come near Miller or Loki, in any capacity.”

“Meaning?”

“Until we know how comfortable Miller is with him, you are being forced to take leave. With pay. Consider yourself lucky,” he continued, seeing her open her mouth to argue, the anger in her eyes. “We could have fired you for your conduct with the prisoner.”

“Director, please,” she started, before he motioned through the window for the guard.

“Go home, Cole.”

“Fury.”

“ _Now_ , or I  _will_  fire you.”

                With tears streaming down her face, and her heart falling to the pit of her knotted stomach, Cole shrugged her shoulders, and shuffled out with the guard at the door.


	10. Chapter 10

                The apartment was so empty.

                Not that anything had changed, really, but  _everything_  had changed. Even just turning the key to lock the door behind her felt weird, without having Loki a few feet away, a smile on his lips, his hands in his pockets. Shifting her weight to her other foot as she turned, Nicky was, admittedly, upset when she saw the room empty behind her.

                Breathing shakily in a feeble attempt to hold onto her composure, she dropped her keys to the floor, and started towards the bedroom. Her knees gave out a few steps from the door, and she crumbled, pulling her legs against her chest. Loki had become a part of her life, he was there  _every day_ , and she couldn’t remember the last time she had someone there for her every day – she wasn’t even sure it had ever happened before. And now Fury had taken him away, sent him away. Now there was a hole inside her that she couldn’t fill, leaving her in an empty, ragged, broken place, curled up against the floor, tears falling freely from her eyes.

                The first week nearly killed her, as she struggled to find a reason to climb out of bed. But it was what always did. She was, after all, a SHIELD agent, whether or not she had an assignment. Being strong and moving on was what she was trained to do. Besides, Fury had allowed her to come back to work. Not as an Agent – instead, she was demoted. She was an office clerk. No gun. No assignments. No reason to talk to Miller.

                The office was drab, a dull grey, as she sat at the cold metal desk. A stack of papers in front of her, some of which were to be stamped, some to be shredded, some to be passed around. It was like working in a regular office, but since this was SHIELD, she didn’t have to physically hand the majority of the papers around. It was more “scan them into their tablets”, rather than “copy them and send them out”.

                Nicky almost didn’t know what to do, as she stared straight ahead, completely void of any thoughts, until Miller passed by her window, a shit-eating grin on his face, talking to another agent. He acted like he didn’t have her world locked away in his home, chained up, she knew, if he was even able to move. Shaking away the thought, she climbed to her feet, and pulled her door open, listening as he laughed.

“The fucker thought he could take me…I had him on his back in a snap,” he spoke, as Nicky made her way after them.

“That Loki guy? Fuck, he’s nothing as a human, is he?”

“He’s a child, just as weak as one, at least. Come on, he knows he has no chance – you  _do_ know he got into Cole’s pants, right?” She was fuming, her fists clenched, as she followed, hearing the other agent snort.

“Holy shit. You think you got a chance now?”

“Easier than breathing…give me a call later, man, we’ll talk again.”

“See ya, Miller,” he said, waving and disappearing down one hall as Miller turned down the other.

Growling softly, Nicky ducked after him, narrowly missing the door as she grabbed him by the scruff of his collar, and whipped him towards the wall. Grunting, he forced his hands up to stop from hitting the wall, though his head still connected, before spinning, and thrusting out his fist, nailing her in the head as she stumbled, grabbed his hand, and turned, flipping him over her shoulder and ramming her foot into his chest.

“The fuck is the matter with you, Cole? Shouldn’t you be  _filing_?” he huffed, spitting a few drops of blood to the side.

“You touch him again, I’ll kill you. If you talk about  _me_  again, I’ll rip your heart out through your foot, you stupid son of a bitch, you got me?”

“Cole!”

                Fury was not a happy man, glaring at her from the doorway, but damnit, she was not a happy former agent.

                But she submitted, standing up straight, planting both feet firmly on the floor.

“Sir.”

“Miller, get off the floor.” Grunting, Miller rolled to his side, pushed his hands into the floor, and forced his body off the ground, shaking off the tingling that was racing through him as he rubbed his hands over his face.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Cole, go pack your things. You have twenty minutes to get the hell out of here.”

“For  _what_? Defending myself to the likes of him?”

“For assaulting an agent that I expressly forbid you from having any contact with.” Anger was not a decent enough description as her face burned, and she narrowed her eyes.

“So I am supposed to  _let_  him talk shit about me, then, sir?”

“You are supposed to follow orders,” Fury countered, glancing at Miller as he avoided eye contact. “You were only put back on duty yesterday, Cole, I’m rather disappointed that you couldn’t last longer. Suspension. Get out of here.”

                Her hand shot out, ramming into Miller’s shoulder sharply enough to cause him to cry out, before she walked around Fury, and back to her office, a soft list of swears passing her lips sharply. Not even two days back at work, and she was so ready for it to be over that she disobeyed a direct order to avoid Miller. He crawled under her skin, caused her blood to boil, but she didn’t kill him, or even beat him badly, despite how badly she wanted to. She let him go, and gathered her things, storming through the corridors to leave.

                It took all her strength not to disobey Fury again and go to Miller’s, to try and break in and see Loki. She forced herself home, and threw her things to the floor, letting her body drop on the other side of the door, trying to make sense of what she was feeling. She was angry at everyone, desperately missing Loki…

…and completely, utterly, alone.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some assault in this chapter - Miller is quite the dick.

                How could a place that seemed, from the outside, so similar to Nicky’s apartment, actually be so very different? It was a living room, a kitchen, and a long hall with two rooms and a bathroom, just like hers. The windows were barred, and there were multiple alarm panels, just like hers.

                But he knew it wasn’t the same.

                Miller’s hand thrust against his back, knocking him forward into the apartment, before he locked the door behind him. Loki stumbled, and shrugged his shoulders, peering back as Miller shoved his keys back into his pocket. Into his pocket – Nicky never put hers back in her pocket, just tossed them on the table. She may not have trusted him, at first, but she knew he wouldn’t get out.

“Move,” Miller ordered, putting his palm on his pistol as he shoved Loki down the hall. Grunting softly as he stumbled, he faced forward, and moved towards the room that Miller…gave him.

                The keys jingled as he removed them from his pocket, and unlocked the door. A small switch was on the wall in the hall, and as the door opened, Miller flicked it, lighting up the room. The idea of it being called a “room” was laughable, if Loki had any reason to laugh – it was half the size of the room Nicky gave him, with more chains and only a mattress. At least Nicky’s place had a real bed – frame, box spring, pillow, sheets, blanket. This was a mattress and a sheet.

                Miller’s hand shoved against him again, knocking him to his knees in the room. Rolling his eyes, he thrust his foot against his butt, stepping into the room as he pocketed his keys one more time.

“Get off the floor, Loki, I didn’t push you that hard.”

“You sure as hell did,” he grumbled under his breath, wincing as Miller grabbed a fistful of his hair, yanking him back.

“What?” he growled.

“I said you sure as hell did,” Loki repeated, thrusting his elbow back into Miller’s ribcage. Groaning and releasing his grip, Miller clamped a hand over the spot Loki hit, before thrusting out his other hand, narrowly missing his jerking form. Spinning, Loki scrambled to his feet, ducking to miss Miller’s hand again before racing forward, knocking him back on the floor.

                It was a fumble, as Loki stood upright to throw a punch, and Miller tried to avoid it, that Miller’s foot caught Loki’s ankle, sending him sprawling to the floor. His head connected with the hardwood, and he grimaced as Miller stood up, and scowled.

“Yeah. That’ll show you.” With a grunt, he pulled Loki up, backed him to the wall, and chained him up. “Now  _stay there_. Try and get out, I’ll whip your ass again,” Miller threatened, shoving his face back towards the wall and turning the light off on his way out. It was pointless to point out he hadn’t whipped anything, he’d only won by luck, as Loki was cast into darkness, and lowered his head, whispering how he wished he was with her instead.

                There was no clock in the room, at least not one with a lit display, so time dragged on for what felt like an eternity before the light suddenly blinded him, jolting him back against the hard wall as the door opened.

“That stupid bitch,” the voice grumbled, as Miller slowly came into view. “She really thinks you care about her – tried to beat the shit out of me. Lost. Fury suspended her. Now she _can’t_  work.  _Can’t_  see you. Oh, it’s so sweet.” Miller was smirking as he focused in Loki’s eyes. The repeated she, it almost caught Loki off guard – she who? – but that smirk, he knew who it was, and he narrowed his eyes. Nicky meant everything to him. This wasn’t going to be let go.

“She’s not a bitch, you waste of flesh. And if you keep that up, I’ll disembowel you the second you unchain me.” 

“Oh, don’t go getting all defensive. She’s still getting paid. She just disobeyed orders. Something she clearly  _didn’t_  do when she gave in to  _your_  seduction.”

                Seduction?

                Seduction wouldn’t have taken him so long.

                Loki growled, but Miller rolled his eyes, unafraid.

“Shut up. You know you’ll never see her again. When I’m finished with you, if you’re still alive, you’ll either be sent back to Ass-gard, or wherever the fuck, or you’ll be banished from any and all contact from Nicky by whatever means possible. She’s never going to be yours. We all know that you don’t care about her – you were using her. Which is fine. You were  _just_ an assignment to her. So get down off your high horse, and deal with your punishment.”

                Loki lunged, not caring about the chains. He could have ripped Miller to pieces, without or without being a god. Nicky had threatened him during his first few weeks, but he saw that as more of game – like she would have ever used that weapon on him. This was much worse. His blood was boiling, his face burning. Anger was becoming rage, and he had a moment, a brief moment, where he wished he was Banner – he’d shatter the chains, and crush Miller.

                But the chains stopped him.

                And so did Miller’s arm, barring against his throat to pin him back to the wall. He leaned close, his other hand removing his weapon from the holster on his hip as he pressed the tip to Loki’s temple.

“Do you want to try that again? Because I’m pretty sure these walls would look good with a new coat of red on them.” His voice was cold, sending a shiver down Loki’s spine, and while he bared his teeth and wanted to rip Miller’s head from his neck, he closed his eyes, and held his breath, waiting for the arm to move away. “Good choice. You’re going to stand here, now, and enjoy the solitude. I don’t think you’re ready for companionship.”

Forcing his arm sharply into Loki’s throat, he yanked back, and smirked as he began to cough, gasping for air. Shaking his head, Miller started for the door, holstering his weapon once more.

“She was just as weak as you are. Pathetic,” he grumbled, yanking the door closed, and flicking the switch to cast him back into darkness.

“The only thing pathetic…” he murmured, coughing a bit more, “is that you think she’s _weak_.” He sighed, sadly, finally taking a deep breath, as he rocked his head back towards the wall. “She’s the strongest one of all of us.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Miller is still a dick, so, more assault, lol.

                The abuse didn’t stop. Miller didn’t have an  _off_  switch. Every time he opened the door to unchain Loki, he would brutalize him, physically, verbally. Loki was exhausted, and losing any want to fight Miller, to stop him. He wanted to give in, and let whatever happened, happen.

                But the thought of leaving Nicky behind was enough to keep him on his feet. Enough to make him hold out for the perfect moment, the perfect opportunity.

                Miller didn’t make him wait long.

                It wasn’t too long before Miller came back into the apartment, his phone against his ear. Loki could hear him through the walls, and waited with bated breath as his voice grew closer. Even the sound, without knowing what was being said, was enough to make him scowl.

“Yes, Duncan. I mean it. He’s getting chained up again, and I’m going over there. Fury has me under a watchful eye since she assaulted me, like he doesn’t  _trust_  me. She’s gonna wish she never set foot out of her fucking file room,” he sneered, and Loki closed his eyes, growling softly.  _Calm down…calm down…_  “No, I ain’t gonna kill her. She’s probably gonna wish I had, by the time I’m finished with her…Alright. I’ll talk to you later,” he said, before Loki could hear the keys just on the other side of the door.

                He closed his eyes as the light flicked on, and waited quietly until he heard Miller grumbling swears at him before opening his eyes.

“Ah, good to see your up, Princess. I have to keep you  _alive_ , so I’m unchaining you for food. Stand up.” It was an order, despite the calmness of his voice, and Loki bit the inside of his cheek to stay the want to hit him right then. With a breath, he shifted his stance, standing with slumped shoulders, his head down. He looked positively pathetic, not that Miller cared, as his fingers pressed the key into the shackles to release him.

                Almost instantly, as he unclasped the final shackle and turned his back to Loki, he wished he hadn’t. The chain flashed in front of his eyes, mere seconds before Loki yanked it back, gripping it in his hands. Jaw clenched, heart racing, fists clenched so tight his knuckles were turning white, Loki pulled the chain against his neck, growling into his ear as he yanked Miller’s back to his chest.

“You are going to wish you had never said her name,” he hissed, pulling, keeping the same force, until Miller stopped coughing, stopped clawing at the chain. Miller went limp, and with a shift of his stance, Loki dropped him to the floor, kneeling to find his pulse. It was a little faint, but still there, and with a sigh, Loki moved to retrieve the keys from his pocket.

 A small smirk formed on his lips as he moved down the hall, pushing the other bedroom door open. Miller’s room was pristine, everything in order, including the bondage and torture movies and magazines stacked on his desk. With a click of his tongue, Loki stepped over to the dresser, and removed a pair of jeans and a shirt – he wasn’t going out dressed as he was.

For the first time since Fury took Loki away from her, Nicky found herself with the urge to cook. She hadn’t cooked for herself in months, though she had cooked for Loki several times since he stopped tempting her to shoot him. But something about that afternoon – nothing on TV, all her books already read, and nowhere she wanted to be but with Loki – prompted her to take a small trip out to the store, returning with bags of things for cooking.

The apartment was dusted with the aroma of garlic chicken as the pasta strained in the sink. Habit made her make enough for two, but she shrugged it off as something for her to eat for lunch the next day.  _Save me from having to do this again_ , she thought to herself, wiping her hands on the dish towel as she covered the chicken, turned off the fire, and let it simmer down. A small smile formed on her lips as she closed her eyes, and listened.

“ _Won’t it burn if you leave it?”_

_“No…the fire is off, and the pan isn’t on the heat. It can sit for a minute while I get the plates…unless you want to get the plates,” she offered, peering over her shoulder at Loki as he sat at the table. Eagerly, he stood, slipping around her for the plates._

_“Deal. It smells fantastic…I mean that.” Nicky chuckled, and shrugged, plucking the lid off the pan and setting it in the sink._

_“Thank you. I’m not used to cooking for two, so if something’s wrong with it, just say so – if you don’t like it, we’ll order something in. Maybe Italian.”_

_“I’m sure it will be fine,” he insisted, holding the plates in one hand while he leaned around her, patting her back with the other, as he got a look at the food._

                He had been so sweet the first time she cooked for him that she had blushed for hours. Thinking back on it now, she still blushed, but for a different reason- she realized that it was the first time she had wanted to slide an arm around him and hug him, after he complimented the food.

                The knock on the door jarred her from her thoughts, and she shifted, raising a brow. Nicky wasn’t expecting company. No one should have been coming by. For a fleeting second, she considered it being Fury, but he had no reason to come over save for firing her – and if that were the case, she would just close the door on him. Brushing her hands down the front of her dark green top, she tossed the towel to the table, crossing to open the unlocked door.

                There was an urge to say his name when she saw him on the other side of the door, hair framing his face, eyes dark with need, want, lust, chest rising and falling with each deep breath. Before her voice could sound, his hands were out, one finding her hip, the other, her neck, and he pulled her towards him, crushing his lips to hers in a passionate, needed kiss. Nicky’s eyes went wide, her heart thumping in her throat, as she threw her hands to his shoulders. As quickly as it began, it was over, Loki pulling back to take a breath.

“I missed you.”

“What are you doing here?” Despite the kiss, the words still flopped from her lips, and she stared up at him in shock and surprise.

“I needed to see you,” Loki murmured, using the hand on her neck to brush a few stray strands of hair from her face.

“Where’s Miller?”

“Sleeping one off…he’s lucky he’s alive, the way he talked about you.” Knitting her brows together, Nicky was desperate to ask what he meant. But as she  _looked_  at him, their eyes locking, she realized she couldn’t care less. Pushing herself up onto her toes, Nicky threw her arms around his shoulders, gripping him tightly as she thrust her lips to his once more. A smirk formed against her lips as Loki locked his arms around her waist, stepping into the apartment, and kicking the door closed behind them.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER IS NSFW.
> 
> There's more sex here, from the lovely riddlemetitillatedhiddles!

           Collapsing onto the couch in a heap, Nicky and Loki embraced each other tightly, neither wanting to let go.

“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” Nicky admitted, finally letting down her guard, tears forming in her eyes. She took Loki’s face in her hands, smoothing his hair back and examining his wounds, kissing each chastely, then sliding her hands underneath his shirt and pulling it over his head. Loki cringed, still sore from Miller’s constant abuse. “What did he do to you?” Nicky asked, her face registering concern and anger both at once.

            “Later,” Loki begged breathlessly, his entire body now overcome with desire. “I love you. I need…” Loki mumbled, his mouth brushing against hers. He kissed her again, the words suddenly lost in the heat between them. He didn’t want to remember. He didn’t want to think about the endless seconds, each one longer than the last, the despair, the darkness. He had his light again. He had Nicky.

            “I love you, too, Loki.” Nicky pulled her own shirt off, every cell in her body wanting nothing more than for him to make love to her again. She unbuttoned her jeans and Loki helped her peel them off, then pulled off his own. Nicky pushed Loki’s boxers down, freeing his erection, and wrapped her fingers around his shaft. Loki gasped, his body on fire with lust.

            Nicky had no inhibitions this time. “I thought about you every second. I missed you so much.” She moved over, guiding Loki onto his back, and kissed his chest, watching the way his abdomen twitched when her lips met his skin. Trailing down to his navel, then kissing farther down, until Loki pulled her chin up, his brow furrowed. “It’s okay,” she assured him, “I want to… try.” He nodded, suddenly nervous at the idea of her mouth on him, although he didn’t know why. But his desires won out, and he laid back as Nicky knelt between his legs, looking up into his gorgeous green eyes. Taking his length in one hand, she kissed the head softly, swirling her tongue around the little indentation and running it along the ridge. The taste was slightly sour and somewhat bitter, but she kept going, parting her lips and sliding him into her mouth a little bit at a time. She could only get just past the tip, but by this time Loki’s back was curved off the couch, his head thrown back, his eyes fluttering. She sucked gently, her tongue flickering against the underside as he shuddered beneath her. Then Nicky tightened her grip, gliding her hand up and down. Loki moaned blissfully; the sound flowed out of him like water from a faucet, enveloping her, warm and comforting.

            “Ohhhh… Nicky, please, I won’t be able to stop,” he drew her up towards him and kissed her passionately, his tongue dancing with hers, their lips merging together. Loki ran his hands along her waist, following the curve of her hips, every graceful contour. He tugged Nicky’s panties off and pushed her legs apart, pausing to look in her eyes. Brushing his hands between her legs, he slid one finger along her slit. She was so wet already he could hardly control himself. Settling himself between her legs, he slipped the head of his cock just between her silken folds. Then he kissed her, their mouths melting together as he began to enter her, tenderly, Nicky’s fingers digging into his back. “Are you okay?” Interspersed between their kisses Loki’s voice registered worry, although he struggled to get the words out, the sensation of her tightness around him almost too much already.

            “Yes,” Nicky panted, “I want you… Loki,” she reached up to him, running her fingers through his hair. Nicky had thought of this moment endlessly, alone in her bed, fitful sleep interrupted by her body’s desires. The longing. She even tried to touch herself, thinking of his beautiful face, that taut lean body, those slender fingers caressing her, but it only delayed the inevitable. The loneliness. It was worse than the longing.

            Loki continued to push into her slowly, gently pulling her legs up around his waist, his body seeming to move on its own. Stopping for a moment, he waited, rotating his hips just barely as he gauged Nicky’s reaction. He could feel she was different now, though. She met his movements instead of simply enduring them, and as Loki began to thrust into her, their bodies came together in a united rhythm. Suddenly Loki stopped, pulling back, trying to catch his breath. “Can you lie on your side?

            Nicky was nervous, but she didn’t hesitate, wanting to please Loki in every way she could. Loki moved behind her, lifting her leg up just a little and entering her again. He tried to go slowly, but she was even wetter now and so tight, and he struggled to control himself. Holding her tightly, he lit his fingers across her waist, following the angle of her hipbone down to her clitoris. He rubbed slowly at first, little circles, as Nicky moaned, a lilting moan, her head falling back against his chest. This was more than Loki could bear, the sweet smell of her sex enveloping him, the sound unbearably exciting. "You feel so perfect…” He began to thrust into her faster, harder, his fingers now rubbing fervently. Nicky’s breath became labored and Loki could feel her flesh twitching beneath him as she inched closer to climax.

            “Oh god, Loki, you… I…” Nicky couldn’t form words anymore, the blood rushed to her center and suddenly stars were falling in beautiful showers behind her eyes, her emotions pushing her deeper and deeper into the orgasm. The sound that fell from her lips was like a whimper but longer, drawn out. As soon as Loki heard it, Nicky’s body clenched up, contracting and quivering around him, and he came, exploding into her, panting in her ear.

            “I love you.” Loki pulled out of her and Nicky rolled onto her back, kissing him softly.

            “I love you, too, Loki.” Her smile was bittersweet as they held each other, sleep washing over them in waves of relief.

 

                                                                            **

            When they finally woke up it was dark, and their bodies were pressed together, each overcome again with desire. Loki was already rock-hard and Nicky giggled. “What’s so funny?” Loki asked, his voice already husky with arousal.

            Nicky kissed him, her tongue tasting his, their mouths twirling together. “It’s just that you’re so…” She bit her lip, still embarrassed to talk about it despite their undressed state.

            “I can’t help it. You are so soft, so beautiful, and my body is so… different. It’s so difficult to…” Nicky pressed up against him and Loki inhaled sharply. “I still have trouble controlling the urges.” His voice was even lower now, breathy.

            Nicky’s eyes turned soft and her brow furrowed slightly, “Do you really think I’m beautiful?”

            Loki tilted her chin up, finding her eyes and kissing her, passionately. “More beautiful than anyone else ever. Here or in Asgard. You are beautiful inside and out.”

            “Loki…” She kissed him, her moist breath against his skin, and he embraced her. His mouth left hers, moving down along the delicate sweep of her neck. Nicky shivered, the blood rushing to her swollen sex, her fingers tangled in his hair, drawing him closer. He brought each breast to his mouth, molding her nipples into hardened peaks. She spread her legs eagerly, lifting her hips to meet him, begging for contact.

            Loki touched his hand along her inner thigh, one long finger sliding along her wetness, then pressing against her clitoris, massaging softly. Nicky’s mouth parted, her lips like a blooming rose, so open, so full. Her back formed a perfect curve, breasts swelling as her muscles tensed, thighs closing around his hips. Lowering down, Loki tasted her languidly, his tongue curling into her, then flitting across her tender bud. Tiny moans rolled out of her as his pace increased, his thumb now joining his mouth as he continued to coax her to orgasm. Her head thrown back, face flushed, finally Loki felt her begin to shake, her climax overcoming her. “Oh god, Loki,” Nicky was floating, hovering, as if she were suspended in air, and the only thing she could feel was the blood rushing to her clitoris, Loki’s tongue melting into her.

            Loki thought he would burst as he moved between her tender thighs. He slid into her quickly, she was just so wet he couldn’t stop. Nicky sucked on his lower lip and then pushed her tongue against his, her own body still warm on his tongue. This drove Loki over the edge. His restraint now gone, he was unable to keep from thrusting into her. Hooking his arm under her knee, Loki pulled her leg up, angling his hips upward, delving deeper. At first Nicky whimpered, but soon she began to pant, tiny melodic gasps of pleasure flowing into Loki’s ear. The discomfort was insignificant; Nicky was in ecstasy.

            “I…” Harder now, Loki beared down, the adjustment allowing better leverage as his thrusts gained speed. His mouth met her neck, her sweat-dampened hair against him, the salty taste of skin. Faster, Loki pushed into her, approaching closer until finally he looked at her. Just her face, the look on her face, pure love, and he let go. “Nicky…” His cock began to quiver and his entire body trembled as he came with a half-grunt, trailing off into a deep sigh. Nicky wrapped her arms around him, her hands just above his buttocks, and she pulled him closer, pulled him farther into her, and he collapsed in a heap.

            Gazing into his eyes, those perfect eyes of shining emerald, Nicky was hypnotized. She brushed her lips across his cheeks, cradling him in her arms. “Oh Loki, my love.” There were tears in her eyes.

            “What’s wrong, did I hurt you?” His brow furrowed, eyes full of worry, he thought he would rather die than see her hurt.

            “No, it’s not that. You were perfect. It was amazing.”

            “Are you sure?”

            “Yes, I’m positive. It gets better the more I… you know.” Loki smiled sheepishly as he saw Nicky begin to blush. Still so embarrassed. Still so innocent.

            “But you’re upset about something…” Loki could tell. Even as Nicky’s face relaxed and her mouth softened, he knew. Something was troubling her and he had a feeling he knew what it was. Their time was running out.

            “What are we going to do, Loki?” They laid there, limbs intertwined, flesh on flesh, as the reality of their situation slowly became inevitable.

            Loki sat up, pulling Nicky to face him and meeting her lips briefly with his own. “I don’t know. They’re going to come here. I don’t know how long we have. He was out cold, but that was hours ago.”

            “I’m not sending you back to him.” Nicky’s face contorted into a mixture of anguish and rage. She wasn’t surprised at the level of Miller’s violence. She was disgusted by her employer’s level of apathy. How could SHIELD let this happen? How could they expect her to be loyal knowing this is how they treated him? And what Loki said earlier… “Wait, what did Miller say about me?”

            “He threatened to hurt you. He’s lucky I stopped him. I would kill anyone that hurt you, Nicky. I don’t think I could stop myself…” It was constant work to keep all the emotions, all the base urges from overwhelming him. As a god, it was so much easier. This was constant pressure, constant anxiety. It was almost painful, just existing in this frail human body. Almost. If not for her.

            “Loki they’ll be looking for us. We have to do something and we have to do it now. I don’t know if Fury will believe us. Not when we're… lovers.” She looked down, biting her lip.

            “You’re more than that. To me, anyway. You’re my everything.” Nicky could see the tears glistening in his eyes and it tore her up inside. She was not going to let anyone hurt him again. There were no options. She knew the consequences, but they were irrelevant now. They had only one choice.

            “We have to run.”


	14. Chapter 14

                Run?

                Loki raised a brow, but she was already looking around, picking their clothes up off the floor. Even though she would have preferred to just curl up against him, wrapped only in a blanket, she was well aware of the time constraints they were in. Absentmindedly, she tossed his jeans and shirt into his lap as her fingers gripped her own.

“Nicky, Nicky, stop…what do you mean run?” he asked, his hands catching her shirt as she pulled it over her head. Her eyes lifted, meeting his, as her features softened.

“…we can’t stay. Fury will take you away again, and God only knows what he’d do with me. And if Miller gets here first? It’ll be a bloodbath, and despite how much we want that, it isn’t a good idea,” Nicky told him, a soft chuckle passing her lips as she slid her hands over his.

                She had a point.

                And he wasn’t about to argue.

                Silently, he nodded, letting her finish dressing as he pulled the clothes she dropped in his lap back on. Loki only got the jeans on when he frowned, and raised a brow.

“Do you have my clothes still? These are his.”

“Oh, God,” she instinctively gagged, grabbing his hand and climbing from the couch. Her knees wobbled, her body a little weak from their romp, and she blushed as his hands found her waist to keep her standing.

“Easy.”

“…I’m alright…come on…your clothes are still in your room.”

                Despite the shake in her legs, Nicky had him go into his room on his own so she could start packing up in her own room. They didn’t have time to dawdle, to just stand and decide. She made quick decisions, throwing just enough into one of her duffel bags to last until they reached wherever they were going. There hadn’t been much in her apartment that meant anything to her – everything was replaceable, except for a few things that she tucked between her clothes in the bag. With the strength returning to her legs, she moved down the hall, tossing a bag to Loki with a smile.

“Pack. Clothes – for day and night. We can always buy more if we need to,” she said, her face reddening as he stepped to the door to place a kiss on her forehead.

“Breathe.”

“I am. Pack.”

                She needed time to think. They couldn’t go straight to the airport – mainly because she had no idea where they would go. Instead, after making a stop at the bank to take what little she actually kept in Savings out – everything else she had was kept inside her apartment, and was tucked in his bag – the pair drove out of New York, something Nicky hadn’t done in quite some time.

                It was a couple of hours, and a minor stop to abandon her jeep and instead call a taxi, later that they were locking the door to the motel room behind them, and dropping their things on the floor.

“This place looks…fit for peasants.”

“It looks cozier than sleeping in that car,” Nicky replied, raising a brow at him as she nudged her shoes off. She hesitated, but tugged her jeans off, too, pulling on a pair of sweats that she plucked from one of her bags, before lowering her body to the bed. “We should be okay for the night…and I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted.” A small smile crossed his lips as he took off his shoes, and his jeans, and climbed onto the bed beside her, hooking an arm around her waist as she laid back.

“Then get some rest…you are safe with me,” he murmured, placing a light kiss on her forehead. Even when they were running from everything she’d ever known so they could be together, he was acting like the brave one, and it made her roll her eyes and smile.

“I love you.” That made him smirk, and dust a kiss on her pink lips.

“I love you too.”

                He wanted her, an urge that still a bit difficult to control, as she returned the kiss, his fingers sliding into her hair. But Loki knew she was tired. It was obvious, when her hand lazily brushed his cheek, her fingers barely making contact. Pulling back, he saw her struggle to open her eyes, and he chuckled, shaking his head.

“Get some sleep,” Loki ordered, and despite the apologetic look in her eyes, she nodded, shifted to turn off the light, and laid her head on the pillow, snuggling back into his embrace as he lay behind her.

                This was completely unfamiliar to Nicky, not having anyone to trust but the man at her back. It was completely unfamiliar to Loki, seeing as he hadn’t trusted anyone, hadn’t wanted  _anyone_  around, in so long, not until Nicky gave him a chance. Neither wanted to be running away with anyone else, and neither were willing to go it alone. She was certain they could make it, so long as they were together.

                As she fell asleep, she even found herself smiling at the thought of Loki on a beach somewhere, sipping drinks, as she stretched out in the sand.

                But it wasn’t too long after she drifted off, as Loki laid still and listened to her breathing with his arm around her waist, his lips in her hair, that a knock sounded at the door. Loki raised a brow, tilting his head to see the door, trying to decide if he should get up, if he should wake her.

What if it was Fury? Or SHIELD?

But why would they  _knock_?

Sighing, he carefully climbed off the bed, and made his way across the floor to the door. He hadn’t intended to open it more than enough to peer outside, but the door snapped back, cracking him in the face, as Miller shoved his way in.

“Good evening, sweetheart…why don’t you take a nap?” he snarled, launching the butt of his gun into Loki’s neck, smirking as he stumbled and toppled face first to the floor in a heap.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's more assault in this chapter - seriously, Miller was a POS. He's total trash.

Miller’s eyes were dark, his neck hidden behind the collar of his shirt, as he scanned the room for Nicky. He was bound and determined to get at her, after what Loki did to him earlier in the day.

                A wicked smirk formed on his lips when he saw her, laying on top of the blankets across the room, completely, blissfully, unaware of his presence. Nudging the door closed behind him, Miller carelessly laid his weapon on the table by the bed. His fingers caught the switch for the light, flicking it onto its lowest setting as he peered down the bridge of his nose at her.

                It took Nicky a moment to react to the light, and she tensed, squinting against the light as she opened her eyes.

“…Loki?” she murmured, shifting and peering up. The sleepiness vanished when she saw Miller glaring at her, and began to scramble backwards, only to be caught and stopped by his large, rough hands.

“You  _shut your whore mouth_ ,” Miller growled, forcing her back against the bed. Yelping, Nicky wrestled against his grasp, whimpering into silence as he pinned both her hands over her head with one of his, and thrust his fist into her face. “I said…shut your  _whore_ mouth.” With his free hand, he removed the tie he wore around his neck, and slung it around her wrists, tying them together before hooking the tie over the bedpost.

“Miller, don’t do this, please.” He slapped her, and tugged his jacket off as he climbed onto the bed, straddling her carefully.

“You asked for this, Nicky. This is how you like it, this is how you’ll get it…open up.”

“No,” she whimpered, clenching her jaw as he leaned down, baring his teeth in a snarl.

“I’ll kill him.” She parted her lips, very reluctantly, and nearly gagged as he thrust the balled up sleeve of his jacket into her mouth. Tears formed, brimming her eyes, as he reached into the pocket of his slacks, gingerly removing a pocket knife.

“No, please,” she muffled around the jacket, squealing as he struck her with his free hand before flipping out the blade, bowing over her, and slowly, teasingly, began dragging the blade across her arm.

 A cry sounded from her lips as she bucked her hips, her only defense to get him to stop. He ripped the knife across her arm, making the cut swift before he gripped her hard about the neck, squeezing as her eyes fluttered.

“The more you fight, the worse I will make this for you, you pathetic whore,” he growled, and she whimpered, shifting slightly as she realized he was  _enjoying_  this – his arousal was pressing against her lower abdomen as he leaned against her  to choke her.

                For a moment, she closed her eyes, praying it would stop, praying he would just _drop dead_ , as the knife was pulled across her arm again. Her inability to  _not_  fight, her constant whimpers and sobs, her fluttering eyes at the lack of oxygen, it all brought a smirk to his lips.

“That’s a good girl, Nicky.”

                Again and again, he moved the knife, picked a different place on her arm, and began to cut her, until he finally removed the knife, removed the hand that choked her, and placed his rough hand over her forehead, keeping her head to the bed.

“Move the wrong way, and this will kill you,” Miller growled at her, lowering the blade to her neck.  _Oh God, Oh God, Oh God_ … _Loki please wake up…_ she begged silently, tears rolling down her face as she yelped at the burn of the blade against her neck. It wasn’t a deep cut, and it wouldn’t kill her if she stayed still. And that was the challenge, forcing her body to tense up and not move as he slowly, torturously, dragged that burning blade across a small section of her neck until blood trickled, and only trickled, down towards the bed.

                Nicky was expecting, as he shifted to sit up and released her head from his pin, for him to flip the blade and start to stab her. She expected him to find a way to make this worse, to torture her more. She  _hadn’t_  expected to open her eyes as he finished the first cut upon her neck, only to see Loki climbing to his feet behind him. Miller wasn’t paying any attention to anything but Nicky, and didn’t notice Loki was even  _alive_ , let alone standing behind him, until the belt Loki had been wearing earlier swung around his neck, mimicking their struggle earlier in the day.

“I told you before…you would wish you had never even said her name.” It was a low growl in Miller’s ear, but this time, Loki ripped Miller from atop Nicky, and threw him to the floor, gripping both ends of the belt in one hand as he brought it down roughly, snapping it against Miller’s face.

                The snap sounded again, and again, and again, as Loki kept striking him, unwilling, almost unable to stop, before, after a moment, he threw the belt, and reached for the gun on the night table. Blood was dripping from his nose and his lip, staining his skin and his teeth as he smirked. Miller had crossed a line, he had touched her,  _he had hurt her_ , and Loki wasn’t going to let him get away with it as he lay, struggling to move, face ripped and bloody, on the floor.

                Nicky scrambled, thankful he had been the only thing that kept her legs in place, moving her hands enough to get the sleeve out of her mouth. A thump, another groan, another grunt, as Loki leaned down striking Miller, just once, on the neck with the butt of the gun – just as Miller had done to him upon walking in the door – and Nicky, struggling to catch her breath, pulled her body into a completely shaken sitting position.

“Loki, stop!” she exclaimed, as he flicked his thumb against the hammer. Hearing her voice made him stop, and he turned his head to see her as she trembled, struggling against the tie.

“He has to pay, Nicky. I  _warned_  him.”

“Please just…just put the gun down and come here, please love…” she begged him, unable to calm her voice as she yanked her arms, trying to get the tie off the bedpost. For a second, he stood on the floor, gun still pointed at Miller, finger still resting on the trigger, but the panic on her face, the tears falling from her eyes…

                She needed him more than he needed to fire, and he put the gun on the night table, his hands catching the tie and releasing her hands, grunting as she threw he arms around him.

“We have to leave, we have to leave  _now_ ,” she gasped, as he helped her from the bed.

“We’re not just leaving him alive,” Loki growled, moving her slightly to brush his fingers near the cut on her neck.

“We  _have_  to, because if you kill him and they find us, I will  _never_  see you again,” Nicky begged him, holding him close as she shook her head. “He’s not going anywhere, and Fury would not have let him come without being behind him. We have to go, and we have to go _now_.” There was so much concern, so much panic, in her shaken voice, that Loki nodded, and pulled back, cupping her face in his hands as he placed a kiss on her lips.

“Then let’s go.” He moved, grabbing the bags, as she released the hammer on the gun, and moved for the bathroom for a couple of towels to press against the cuts on her arm, and the one on her neck.

                Neither said a word as they dug keys out of Miller’s pocket, left him, barely breathing on the floor, and got into the car he’d parked outside, their things flung into the backseat. Despite the trembling of her hands, she started the vehicle, and whipped out of the parking lot, tires squealing as they tore off down the road.

“Nicky, you need to breathe.”

“I am breathing…what I really want to do is stop the car and climb in your lap, for fuck’s sake, that son of a bitch is  _sick_ …” she gasped, her knuckles white as she clutched onto the steering wheel. Loki extended his arm, sliding his hand over hers, hoping she would breathe again, relax, ease her grasp on the wheel.

                No sooner had his hand touched hers did lights appear, one around the bend in the road, the other in the mirror behind them. It was only a few second between the time she flinched at the sight, and her reaction, but by then, the headlights in front of her had swerved, the black SUV blocking their path by parking across the road. She slammed on the brakes, both jerking against their seatbelts, as the headlights behind them came to a stop, angled in the road. Panting, Nicky lifted her head from its place on the wheel, and she peered in the mirror, her heart dropping at the sight of a very angry Fury climbing out of the vehicle behind her.


	16. Chapter 16

                The room was partially lit by the single bulb in the center of the ceiling. Nicky sat in the cold metal chair, against the cold metal table, facing the mirrored wall.

                And Fury had been so angry, he walked in, he paced, he grunted, and he stormed out, slamming the door hard enough to shake the two-way mirror. She flinched, but couldn’t say anything – there was nothing she could say to him that would make him less angry. In fact, she knew everything she had would only piss him off more.

                But when he came back, she still let it all out. Nicky had lost her filter. She was angry, and she felt betrayed by the people she had always trusted.

_“Miller wanted to **rape**  me,  **torture**  me! He was going to  **kill**  me!” she howled, thrusting her chair back as she stood._

_“You sit your ass down, Cole!” Fury ordered, and she narrowed her eyes._

_“Why are you protecting him? What does he have over you? You are supposed to **protect** all of us, and you let him do this, to me, the person you  **chose**  for this job!”_

_“AND YOU ONLY HAD ONE JOB, COLE!” The force of his voice straightened her spine as she stood upright, and stared at him. “You had one duty, and that was to make him a human, doing what you have to in order to keep him in line. That was not to say you should sleep with him, or run away with him.”_

_“Sir, I understand that, but for the love of God, I warned you what Miller would try if h-“_

_“Don’t talk back, Cole, you sit your ass down until I’m finished.”_

_“Why don’t you go **ask**  him?! Go ask him yourself, he’s still alive,” Nicky continued, pointing towards the door. “Go  **ask**  son-of-a-bitch what he was going to do.”_

_“Miller is in the ICU, Cole. Loki nearly caved his face in.”_

_“Because he was TRYING to KILL me, do you **not**  see the cu-“_

_“I told you not to talk back, Cole, now **sit**  before I make you.”_

                Rubbing her hand over her eyes as the conversation echoed in her head, if she could even call it a “conversation”, Nicky felt her stomach knot, drop, unknot, raise, and knot again, over and over, as she tried to think of a way out. The odds she would see Loki again were so narrow she couldn’t see them. It broke her heart, as she pulled her knees against her chest, pressed her forehead against her knees, and tried to hold it in.

                How could Fury let this happen? It was his job to keep his agents safe. He handpicked Miller for SHIELD, he had to have known he was at least a little screwed up. Fury was more familiar than Cole was with Miller, despite her having spent so much time with him. They had been partners for the first year she was in SHIELD. He taught her everything. But even she wasn’t aware – or wasn’t willing to accept – how messed up he was until now.

                 _Maybe Fury didn’t know_ …she thought to herself, sighing and closing her eyes tightly.

                It felt like ages before the door opened, and another SHIELD agent stood in the doorway, hands behind her back.

“Excuse me…Fury sent me. I’m Agent Carroway. Come with me, please.”

“Do I have a choice?” she questioned, brow raised, as the agent sighed, and shook her head.

“Not really…no. Come on.” With a sigh, Cole stood, and shoved her hands into the pockets of her slacks, following the agent into the hallway.

“…is he still in Interrogation?”

“Is who?”

“Loki.” The agent faltered for a mere second as she turned the corner, before clearing her throat, and shrugging her shoulders.

“Honestly, I’m not sure, ma’am.” Ma’am? When did she become  _ma’am_? Swallowing a snicker, Nicky nodded, and glanced around.

“And if I were to ask you to check on him for me? Let me see him?”

“Sorry, ma’am. I was expressly ordered to not let you two see each other.” Ma’am. Oh, come on now. Nicky raised a brow.

“Stop calling me ma’am…please. Call me Cole. Or Nicky. Or something. Anything but ma’am.”

“Sorry, ma-…Nicky.” Nicky sighed, and pushed her fingers through her hair, crossing her arms over her chest as Carroway stopped to open a door, and peered back at her. “May I ask you a question?”

“Maybe.”

“Why did you do it? Sleep with him, I mean. Don’t you know what he’s done?” Carroway stumbled as Nicky came to a halt in the hallway, and slowly turned, glaring at the young agent.

“Are you new?”

“…r-relatively. O-only a month.” The look on Nicky’s face was sending chills down her spine, and she finally blinked, shifting to stand up straighter.

“Then learn this quickly. Don’t question the superiors. I did this job for two years before Loki was put in my care. I never stepped out of line. I never questioned. I did exactly as I was told, and I did it quietly. That is how Fury likes it. There are exceptions, and you are not it. Bite your tongue. Retract your question. Don’t ask me it again.” Carroway stared at her, wide-eyed, baffled, and unsure of what to say, as Nicky sighed, and turned away. “Just…take me wherever you were ordered, and leave me be.”

                Despite wanting to disappear, Carroway nodded, gulped, and led Nicky down to the holding room, locking the door as she walked, completely stunned, away from the room.

After turning a corner, she passed another Holding room in the next corridor where Loki sat, alone, and unaware of how long he’d been away from Nicky.

                It felt like an eternity, sitting in that small, windowless room, with nothing to look at that was of any texture but the door. It wasn’t a holding room, so much as it was a  _prison_. Nicer than a cell, but still a prison. And yet, despite how miserable he felt, trying to figure out just how long he been in that box since Fury all but shoved him in, he couldn’t stop thinking of how awful  _Nicky_  felt.

                She was their prisoner, too. 

                He had tried to kill Miller. It was worse than “taking advantage of” Nicky. It was attempted murder. And she had tried to escape with him. It made her an “accomplice.”

                Loki began seething at the thought that that rapist, that  _freak_ , was more cared for than Nicky, despite her devotion to SHIELD. He buried his face in his hands as he tried to change his train of thought to something more pleasant, like her touch, her voice.

                The only thing that worked, though, was the jiggling of the doorknob, and he clenched his fingers in his hair, squeezing his eyes closed, as the door opened.

“Go the fuck away, I’d rather be alone than questioned.” He was just so angry, so worked up over how shitty it all really was.

“…can you look at me?” His eyes opened, and for a second, he sat still, furrowing his brow until he raised his head.

“…Nicky?” She stood in the doorway, a half smile on her lips, her hands in her pockets.

“Hey.” He pushed his body off the bench seat, not giving two shits about how she got there, just happy to see her, as he hooked his arms around her waist, and planted a deep, loving kiss on her lips.


	17. Chapter 17

                Her lips were so soft, her smell still so intoxicating, even after hours locked up at SHIELD. Loki didn’t want to let go, entwining his fingers in her hair, flattening his hand on his back to hold her close. Nicky slid her hands across his chest, over his shoulders, but even with the longing in the kiss, and the want not to let go, she pulled away, nudging her nose against his as she caught her breath.

“Loki…”

“Nicky, what are you doing here?” he breathed, knowing he would have to ask, even if he didn’t want to. A smile crept across her face as she cupped his face in her hands, and kissed the tip of his nose.

“I’m getting us out of here. Come on,” she told him, moving her hands into his as she started lead him out of the room.

“Out of here? What if we get caught?” Loki asked, brow raised. Nicky snickered a couple steps ahead of him.

“You won’t be caught. There’s a car waiting for you outside, Cole.” She stopped, her timid hand tightly protected in Loki’s large, strong hand. Fury stood in the hallway, hands behind his back, watching the couple as they exited the holding cell.

“Thank you, Director.”

“Take care.”

                Oh the confusion on Loki’s face as Nicky gave his hand a tug, and led him down the hall. But Nicky didn’t say anything, and instead merely led him outside to the car waiting behind Carroway.

“Keys are in it, ma-…Nicky.”

“Thank you, Agent.” Casting a glance behind her, she released his hand, and walking around to the driver’s side. “Get in, Loki. It’s alright.” He was very hesitant, very uncomfortable, with Fury standing at the top of the steps, Carroway only a few feet from the car, watching the both of them. Nicky popped the driver’s door open, and started to climb in, one foot on the carpet by the driver’s seat, when she realized he hadn’t budged from the door across from her. “Loki?”

“Hm?”

“…get in the car.” While there was no smile on her face, she did have a soft look that he trusted, and, with a nod, he opened the door, and lowered himself in the seat beside her. As he buckled the seatbelt, and heard her start the car, he peered over his shoulder, spotting their bags in the backseat.

“Where are we going?”

“Airport…just relax. Everything is fine – I promise.” The car lurched, and purred, as she pulled away from SHIELD, driving until Fury and Calloway were mere dots in the mirror, and then she kept driving, one hand on the wheel, the other stretched across the console to rest on his.

                Despite his urge to ask her what the hell was going on, why they were suddenly free of Fury and SHIELD, he knew she wasn’t going to spill any information. At least, not yet. The only part of her not focused on the drive was her hand, entwined securely with his. He watched as they returned to the city, passing through but not stopping any more than necessary.

                Then he saw the airport.

                And the plane lights flickering overhead.

                Loki opened his mouth, attempting to ask, but she shook her head to keep him quiet. God how he wanted to argue. How he wanted to prod, poke at her until she cracked. But they had, after all, been through enough in the past twenty-four hours. He gave her this, and, after they found a place to park the car, he silently heaved two of the bags out of the backseat, letting her grab the other two, and tuck the keys above the visor as she closed the door.

                Almost as though he were a doting puppy, Loki followed her – quietly – through the airport until they reached the ticket counter. She spoke, almost silently, with the smiling, bubbly attendant, plucking two small blue booklets out of one of the bags in her hands and sliding them across the counter. Loki scooted up a step, almost leaning against her to hear, as the attendant flipped both books open, and continued to type.

“Okay…Mr. and Mrs…Cole…you are all set. Just head back to the gate – it’s right here on your tickets – and they will page when they’re boarding. And enjoy your flight.”

“Thank you, Alley. You have a wonderful day.”

“Thank you,” she smiled, and Nicky peered over her shoulder, nodding for Loki to follow her. They barely made it ten steps when his lips reached her ear, his breath warming her skin.

“Mr. and Mrs. Cole?” he breathed, a smile in his voice, a brow raised, as she pursed her lips and caught her breath.

“It was Fury’s way of getting you under the radar,” she murmured, her head turned towards him, before she smirked. “I’ll tell you everything once we’re on the plane. Promise.” Before she could turn her head back, he stole a quick kiss, grinning as she blushed and nudged him while they walked through the airport.

                This was a new thing for Loki. He expected to fly as he had when Tony and Steve caught him in Stuttgart, when Thor had grabbed him and pulled him off the jet. He didn’t realize there were planes like this, planes this big, with this many seats. Two of their bags were tossed under the plane, as cargo, but the other two boarded the plane with them, and Nicky stopped at their seats, hoisting first her bag, then his, into the overhead.

“This will be fun. Very long…but fun.”

“Where are we going?” he asked, moving in and taking the seat by the window as she took the seat beside him, and lowered her head to his shoulder.

“Far enough away that no one can stop us…” Her voice was soft, and Loki raised a brow, peering down at her.

“Stop us?”

“We never have to come back. We can…we can be together, Loki…Fury won’t follow us. SHIELD is no longer a part of my life.” There was such confusion on his face that he tapped his finger against her chin, and shifted, readjusting his long legs so he could face her a bit, see her better.

“What happened while I was locked up?”

“I was locked up, too. Interrogation…and then holding.” He nodded in agreement, and she rested her body back against the seat. “Fury…went to Miller’s. I kept telling him he was messed up…so he went there himself. He saw what I meant. When he came back…they let him into my cell…” A small smile crept onto her face as she lowered her head, and trailed her fingers across the back of his hand. That smile began to form on his lips, too, as he raised a brow, and turned his hand over, brushing his fingertips across her wrist.

“And?”

“He admitted it. You saved…my life. Miller would have killed me…there were these notebooks stacked on his desk. Every single one had something depraved in it. And the one on top was all about me. Things that, that he would do if he had a chance. Things like…” He saw the disgust, the concern, the  _fear_ , forming on her face, and he wrapped his nimble fingers about her hand, leaning in to place a kiss on her cheek, and bring that smile back to her lips. “…things worse than what he did in the hotel. So if you hadn’t gotten up? If you hadn’t done what you did? He would have killed me. And you. You saved both of our lives. And Fury…is finally admitting it. So he offered to make it up to us.”

“By sending us away?”

“Anywhere we wanted to go. So he reserved the tickets before I came to get you. The car, the flight, the hotel when we get where we’re going – all on SHIELD.” There was such a grin on his face, and she giggled, shifting and looking over her shoulder as the flight attendant pulled the door closed, and the voice came over the loud speaker. “Alright…you need to sit back.”

                The blushing was instinctive, as she put her hands practically  _in_  his lap to buckle the belt, before shifting to face forward and doing the same for herself. At the front of the plane, the attendant was going over procedures and instructions, which Loki was incredibly intrigued by. The attentiveness almost made Nicky snicker, as she tried to get comfortable, and he followed every instruction – he looked at the booklets in the seat in front of him, he ensured the table was in the upright and locked position. He even tugged at his belt to make sure it was latched. She finally did snicker, and he peered over at her, brow raised.

“What?”

“You’re just so…adorable.”

“Nicky,” he groaned, rolling his eyes, as she reached for his hand.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…you are, but I’m sorry.” A sigh passed his lips, and he slid his fingers between hers, raising her hand to kiss the back of it.

“So where are we going, Nicky?” Blushing a deep crimson, she bit her lips, shifted, and put her hands back in her own lap.

“Greece. An island in Greece, really, called Zakynthos. It’s absolutely gorgeous. You will _love_  it,” she assured him, not looking up. She couldn’t but feel a bit sheepish about calling him, Loki, God of Mischief,  _adorable_ , especially to his face.                 “Of course…this is a long flight…at least…like…seventeen hours, I think. So, it’s going to be a while before you see it. You can sleep, if you want – the attendant can bring you a pillow after we get go-“

He cut her off, his thumb thumping against her chin to lift her head, his lips covering hers in a gentle kiss. Something about her being so uncertain was irresistible, and he couldn’t stop himself from stealing a taste of her lips, a touch of her face, while she fought to avoid his gaze. A soft moan sounded in the back of her throat, and she let her eyes fall shut, sliding her hand almost instinctively across to his thigh, returning the kiss, but unable to stop from parting her lips and flicking her tongue across his before pulling back, and smirking.

“…this is going to be a fun flight.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More sexytimes!
> 
> From the lovely & talented riddlemetitillatedhiddles!

            Loki laid his head on Nicky’s shoulder and lost himself in her intoxicating scent, the barely-there flush on her cheek every time he touched her, that beautiful smile. Days. Weeks. He felt he could stare at her for an infinity, actually. Everything about her just made him feel fantastic. Self-loathing gradually fading away as he basked in the light of her love.

            Finally, the plane took off. It was actually rather discombobulating for Loki. The last time he had been on a plane he was still a god. Now, he got a little nervous as his stomach dropped on takeoff and even more as his ears began to feel funny.

            “Here, chew this,” Nicky smiled at him softly and handed him a little pink square. “But don’t swallow it, okay? You just chew it.”

            “Why?” Nicky chuckled a little as Loki tentatively placed the piece in his mouth and began to chew.

            “It’s just not for eating, it’s for chewing. It’s gum.”

            Loki’s face grimaced a bit as he began to chew the gum slowly, but after a few seconds his eyes lit up. “Ah, it’s sweet!”

            “Mmm-hmmm. When it stops tasting good, you throw it away. It relieves stress and makes your ears pop.”

            “Pop?”

            “Keep chewing, you’ll see.” Loki did as he was told and finally his ears began to clear. Turning to Nicky, he laughed.

            “Do you have to do this every time you’re in a plane?”

            ‘Yes, it helps with the pressure in our ears.“

            "Okay.” Shrugging his shoulders Loki chewed the gum, Exhausted from the events of the last day, Loki laid his head back on Nicky’s shoulder and fell fast asleep.

            Nicky fell asleep, too. When she woke, it was dark out the window and she could hear Loki snoring softly. He looked so peaceful, his lips just barely parted, his eyes darting underneath his eyelids. Smiling softly, kissed his forehead. Loki roused, looking up at her from heavy lids.

            “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” Nicky offered, kissing his lips now. “Here, let me take your gum.” She grabbed a napkin and commanded, “Spit.”

            “Mmmm…” Reaching over, Loki placed his hand on her knee, then slowly curving it up her thigh.

            “Loki,” Nicky giggled, kissing him again, her tongue gliding across his lips. Loki moaned softly, his breath hitching as Nicky’s body moved closer. He deepened his kiss, pulling her towards him, his hand around her waist. Nicky leaned closer, then whispered in his ear, “I have an idea.” Nicky looked around the cabin, craning her neck to check the activity in the other seats nearby. Seeing no movement, and with most of the passengers dozing, she unbuckled her seat belt and Loki’s, grabbed his hand, and led him to the bathrooms.

            “Where are we going?”

            “Shh… ”

            Loki obeyed, his trust in Nicky so implicit by now. She led him down the aisle to the back of the plane. “Go in and I’ll be in in a few seconds.” Loki looked at her quizzically but did not ask this time. Opening the door, he peered inside. It was cramped, but he went in anyway and waited patiently. Before long, the door opened and Nicky hurried inside, shutting and locking the door behind her. It was then that Loki figured out exactly what Nicky had in mind.

            “Really?” His eyes widened in surprise as Nicky nodded, smiling coyly. Raising up on her tiptoes to kiss him, she began to quickly unbutton his jeans.

            “We don’t have much time…” She breathed, sliding her hand into his boxers and stroking his surprisingly erect cock. It didn’t take much to get Loki in the mood. To him, everything Nicky did exuded sex; her voice, her touch, that intoxicating smell, how she treated him with affection instead of disdain. Nicky didn’t mind. It made her feel like a goddess, his goddess. And she wanted him just as much, if not more. Every hidden desire Nicky had ever felt was finally given an outlet.

            Loki finally got Nicky’s pants undone, his hands shaking just a little, and pushed them with her panties down to her knees. One hand between her legs, feeling her muscles begin to quiver as he inched closer to her sex. So soft, one finger melting between her swollen lips, her body instinctively tightening around it. Loki gasped, the combination of her delicate hand grasping his erection, the tremor of her supple thighs as he began to pump slowly, his thumb now moving in patient circles on her sensitive bud.

            “Loki… ” She kissed him deeply, her mouth hungry for him, tongue flickering against his, little breaths escaping each time Loki’s finger moved back and forth. “I want you…”

            Loki removed his finger, sucking on it for a moment, “You taste divine,” he licked his lips. “Kiss me…” Nicky was curious, and she ran her tongue along Loki’s bottom lip, smiling as she tasted the faint hint of herself on his mouth. “Turn around,” Loki urged, so Nicky pushed her pants down farther and angled herself back towards him.

            Again finding her clitoris with one hand, Loki used his other to rub the tip of his erection along her silken folds, pushing just barely inside. He progressed slowly at first, she was still so tight. But the more snugly her body clenched around his shaft, the more difficult it became until Loki began to whine almost inaudibly. “It’s okay… I’m okay,” she reassured him, her voice desperate and breathless. She wanted it too, so much it was overwhelming, and so Loki plunged into her, Nicky softly whimpering as he filled her completely.

            He began to thrust, burying himself completely inside her slick heat before pulling back halfway and thrusting again. Every so often he would pause and rotate his hips, jutting at an angle against her spot, his finger still strumming her tender nub. Nicky’s body began to loosen, her forehead pressed against the wall, her hands above her head as she tried to hold on, the stimulation now pushing her headlong towards ecstasy. Loki looped his arm around her middle to help keep her up and began to fuck her harder, rubbing her frantically, until he could feel it.

            Her walls squeezing around his shaft, each perfect curve beginning to quake, that moan… like a song, really, a high-pitched moan, interrupted only by the panting of her breath. Nicky opened up like a flower, her legs almost giving beneath her, as the orgasm swallowed her whole. She could hear Loki’s enticing voice, “Nicky, yes, Nicky,” as a million lights burst behind her eyes. Laying his head against her damp neck, his mouth slightly open, the salty taste of her sweat, Loki knew it wouldn’t be long for him, either. The last tremor against his length, his throbbing head pressed against her pliant walls, and he came inside her with a fury. It seemed to Loki the orgasm would last forever, both his arms now clutching her to him, his mouth open against her neck, the salty taste against his lips. He thought he might faint as he panted, his lungs painfully in need of breath. Finally he was spent and he hugged her trembling body to him, still inside her, both of them overstimulated and exhausted.

            “Loki,” Nicky trailed off, unable to complete a coherent thought let alone a statement. She felt so safe in his arms, as if nothing could ever harm them ever again. She knew they were meant to be together. They fit together. Body and soul. United, they were one.

            “I love you so much, Nicky,” Loki’s voice cracked just barely, tears in his eyes, overcome with emotion.

            Nicky turned to face him and they embraced, kissing sweetly. “I love you too, Loki. Nothing can ever separate us ever again.”


	19. Chapter 19

                Greece was stunning. And Loki was in complete awe of Nicky as she led him around a couple of cities on the island they were on, forming a bit of what he was certain had to be Greek in order to make sure they were going the right way. For a few days, they stayed in a hotel in Laganas, and enjoyed the beach, the privacy, and the much needed, much adored time alone together. The only thing Loki noticed Nicky doing was sneaking away for a few minutes here and there, to do some sort of work on her computer, or to make a phone call. He didn’t think twice about it – usually it was while he was taking a shower, or getting things set up for a movie. And she always came back, either climbing into the shower with him, or climbing into his lap on the couch.

                After they checked out, almost a week after they arrived, Nicky drove them in their rental across the island, to Alykanas Village, almost a half hour North of where they had been staying. Loki peered out the window, in complete awe at the scenery. This was so much more pure, more beautiful, than New York. The awe, the wonder, on his face made Nicky smile as she glanced at him during the drive. It was endearing.

                God, she loved him.

                She made sure not to interrupt the entire drive, letting him soak it all in, until she turned the car down a side road, and into a slightly winding road, coming to a stop in front of a two-story rose-colored home.

“Stay here…” she said, pushing the gear into Park, and nudging her door open. Turning with curiosity, Loki watched her jog ahead a few feet, opening up the gate that blocked the rest of the drive, before coming back, pulling the car in, climbing  _back_ out, and shutting it. He chuckled, and shifted to watch her jog back up to the car, climbing in and just pulling it up a few more feet. Before he could ask where they were, she motioned through the windshield. “What do you think?” Eyebrow raised, he peered ahead of him, and his jaw nearly dropped.

                Trees were surrounding the property, each lined with flowers, but between a break in the trees was a perfect view of the endless ocean, melting seamlessly into the skyline.

“Holy shit.” Nicky nearly burst into giggles as she shut the car off and climbed out, moving around to wait for him. It took him a moment to recover from the  _perfection_  of the view, but he did climb out, and looked at her. “Where are we?”

“…this is home.  _This_  is our home. All ours. Two stories, four rooms, view of the ocean,” she pointed, before shifting, and motioning around the corner, “and view of the mountains,” she continued, smirking as his eyes lit up again at the sight. “It’s near the beach. We have neighbors, but they’re down the road. This is it. This is just us. All us. All  _ours_ ,” Nicky told him, plucking the key ring from her pocket.

“When did you get that? This?” he asked, lifting his hands to motion to the entire place.

“This was the package I went to the lobby for yesterday morning,” Nicky admitted, as Loki raised a brow, and smirked.

“I see.”

“It was a surprise…I wanted to surprise you.” He started towards her, but she turned, and bounded up to the back door, slipping the key into the lock and flicking it to hear it click. “You have given me…so much, Loki. You have no idea…”

“No…no, no. If anyone deserves a gift, Nicky, it’s you. You’ve given me _everything_. No one would do for me what you have. Do you know how…how wonderful it is for someone to love me? To  _tell_  me that they love me?” Her brow raised, and she turned, nudging the door open as he slipped his hand against her hip. “You did not give up on me,” he purred, dotting a kiss on her shoulder, smiling. “You trust me. You  _love_  me. And you are the first. And…I would give you the world if I could.” Her eyes were soft as she cupped his face, lifting his head to look her in the eye.

“You have given me better than the world. And now I’m all yours. So…let’s look at this as a gift to each other, hm?”

“Deal,” Loki whispered, pressing a sweet kiss to her lips as she slid her arms around his shoulders in a gentle embrace.

                It was such a glorious place, such an easy adjustment to being  _happy_  in such a place, that time was flying. After the first month, Loki was even becoming comfortable driving. Not far, though – Nicky was still working on getting comfortable – so for any trips into town, Nicky insisted.

                She returned home one afternoon with a couple of bags in her hands, nudging the door closed with her foot, as she peered around the entryway.

“Loki?”

“YAOW!” Jumping at the sound, Nicky hurried down the hall, peering into the kitchen to see him leaning back and rubbing his head.

“You alright?”

“You surprised me…I was getting a pan from the cabinet,” he groaned, pointing to the open cabinet at his feet. Snickering and blushing, Nicky set the bags upon the table, and walked over, pushing herself onto her tiptoes to kiss the back of his head.

“I’m sorry…are you okay?”

“Yeah…that just  _hurt_. What did you get?” Nicky glanced over her shoulder, and flopped back onto her heels, flattening her feet on the floor as she slid her hand against his back.

“I got some pork, and some wine, and some spices, and olive oil…I’m going to make a dish called Bekri Meze. It’s really, really good.”

“Anything I can do to help?” She smiled, and took a step back, hoisting herself up onto the counter.

“Well…if you want, you can get it started…I’ll walk you through it.”

                With a smile, and a final rub against the back of his head, Loki moved and pulled out the skillet at her instruction, dicing the onion and sautéing it in the pan. He added the meat as she tossed it to him from the bag he’d placed beside her on the counter, turned down the flame, and put a cover over the pan.

“Now what?”

“Now we let it cook for twenty minutes. You did really good, Loki,” Nicky complimented him, reaching out as he stepped between her knees, and leaned up to kiss her.

“I had a good teacher.” Blushing, she rested her forehead on his, laying her hands upon his shoulders.

“…do you like this house?”

“I would love any house, so long as I was sharing it with you.” A soft sigh passed her lips, and she nudged his head up, kissing him lightly.

“You’re too sweet sometimes…”

“No such thing. I love you, Nicky.” Her cheeks reddened again, and she shifted to look at him.

“I love you too, Loki…I’m glad you’re here with me. This wouldn’t be as great if you weren’t.”

“I know.” She snorted, and pushed her hand on his shoulder, laughing as she shook her head.

“Shut up.”

“Never!” he laughed, pulling her body against his and planting a kiss on her lips.

*

                The first couple of months raced by, full of them exploring the Village, filling the house with things that they wanted. Nicky did begin working for SHIELD again, but in no way near the same capacity as before. It was long distance, on a protected computer, so not even they could pinpoint where she was. That was the only way she would agree to work again, and after all, they did need an income, even in a paradise such as Greece.

                The two story house had four bedrooms, two on each story, and while one of the rooms upstairs had been turned into Nicky’s office, the other room upstairs and one room downstairs were their bedrooms, for if they ever felt like sleeping with a view of the ocean, or just sleeping with a view of the mountains. It was a much bigger house than Nicky had realized when she bought it, so they did what they could to fill it, to make it their own.

                Loki had acclimated so well that he was, save for a few absolutely adorable quirks, Human.

                One morning, Loki awoke to an empty bed, and a small note on Nicky’s pillow that read  _Had to run into town. Sorry – you looked too perfect to wake. I love you. I’ll be back soon._  He smiled sleepily, and laid his head beside the note, letting himself fall back to sleep.

                Loki didn’t even hear the car pull into the drive, the gate latch, the door open. He was completely oblivious, completely lost in his sleep, woken only by the thumping downstairs. Raising a brow, and stretching, he listened as the sounds came up the steps in a steady stream, one thump, one bang, right after another. Frowning, he tugged on his sweats, and made his way down the steps, hearing her grumble as she dropped a pan onto the stove.

“Nicky?” The sounds stopped, and she peered over her shoulder at him, her eyes partially visible beneath the brim of her ball cap.

“How’d you sleep?” That made his frown deepen. How’d he sleep? No good morning, no ‘hello’, no smile – just a  _How’d you sleep_. He moved up behind her, and slid his hand against her back, pulling back instantly as her body tensed at his touch.

“Something’s wrong.”

“I’m fine. Did you sleep alright?”

“No, you aren’t. Yes, I did. What happened while you were gone?” Nicky hesitated, biting her lip, and lowered her head, letting her finger slide across the lip of the stovetop.

“…I went shopping…”

“Nicky.” It had been a long time since his voice had been stern with her – not since he was still threatening and taunting her had he held such a tone in his voice – so she flinched slightly as it filled the sound of her name. With a soft sigh, she turned around, and looked up at him, chewing at her bottom lip. 

“Boy, I’m nervous…”     

It showed, with the way she couldn’t hold his gaze, the way her teeth kept catching her bottom lip and her fingers toyed with the hem of her shirt. He’d never seen her so nervous, and despite how she had to have felt, Loki found it completely endearing, and smiled softly as he raised his hand to her cheek.

“It’s just me, Nicky…you can tell me anything.” Her eyes fluttered and her heart skipped a beat as he touched her face, as his soft lips brushed her temple after his other hand removed her ball cap.

“I know, but this is something so…I just…I wasn’t prepared for this. Like…ever. And that seems really silly but I’ve never had a reason to prepare for this before,” Nicky rambled, shrugging and thumping her head against his shoulder. With a slight chuckle, he kissed the side of her head, and shrugged, too.

“Just…say it.” She held her breath for a moment, not saying anything, not even moving, before he felt her body tense up again.

“I’m pregnant.”

                Neither said anything. Loki didn’t even move, and she finally lifted her head, brow furrowed, concern in her eyes, to see if he was even breathing. He was, but faintly, as he looked at her with wide eyes.

“Pregnant?”

“…yeah?” For a few seconds, they stared at each other, not speaking, barely breathing, worry beginning to creep into her eyes. As soon as he saw it, a grin split his lips, he bared his teeth, and he scooped her into his arms, placing a hot, passionate kiss on her lips. Her only reaction, other than throwing her arms around his shoulders, was a deep squeal at the surprise.

                Loki spun her, as she finally shut her eyes and returned the kiss, before letting her feet touch the ground as he pulled back to clasp his hands on either side of her face.

“…that’s wonderful! How much longer? I mean, do you know what it is yet?” It hadn’t occurred to her, until right that moment, that Loki had no idea how pregnancy worked on Earth, and she laughed, putting her hands on his chest.

“Loki, Loki. Come on…let’s sit down…I should probably fill you in on how this works here.”

                He was so excited, he groaned at the thought of having to wait another seven months just to hold the baby. But that was what made Nicky grow comfortable at the prospect of being a mother, and order a few baby books offline.

                After they arrived, Loki flopped onto the couch, Nicky beside him with her legs across his lap. They had no idea what they were having, and she knew they wouldn’t, not for a while, but there was no harm in getting started choosing names. They each had a book, and a pad of paper, and a pen, and were making their own list of ten names.

                It took them a while, going from cover to cover, rereading pages, frowning, scratching out choices and replacing them with another. But finally they looked at each other, and she nudged his thigh with the heel of her foot.

“You go first.”

“Okay,” he smiled, shifting and rubbing his hand against her leg. “Girls?”

“Sounds good.”

“Okay…for Girls, I have Diana, Adriana, Elsa, Kari, Zealand, Angel, Zoe, Selene, Sophia, and Veronica.” Nicky smiled, nodding as he listed them, before looking down at her own list.

“I like those names…”

“What do you have?”

“Not those names,” she laughed, as he snickered and tapped the paper.

“ _Read_  them, darling.” Blushing, she nodded, and looked back down with a smile.

“Okay, okay…I have Jessica, Cecilia, Riven, Emily, Kelly, Sarah, Adia, Christine, Lizette, and Julie.”

                The pair stared at each other, before cracking a smile, and looking down. For several minutes, they silently compared their lists, trying to decide which ones they absolutely did not want to get rid of.

“What is your favorite, of all of yours?” she asked him.

“Sophia.”

“How about…if it’s a girl…we name her Sophia Adia?” Loki’s lips curled into a smile, and he nodded his head, lifting her hand to kiss her knuckles.

“Sounds beautiful. You get to start – boy names.”

“Ah shit. Alright.” He laughed, and gave her hand a squeeze as she jotted down  _Sophia Adia_ before looking at her other list. “Okay…boys. Christopher, Alexander, Landon, Andrew, Nikkos, Percy, Charlie, David, Michael, and Daniel.” Loki smiled at her again, nodding, and looked down at his own list. For a second, Nicky saw hesitation in his eyes, but before she could ask, he took a breath, and began to read.

“Maston…Melvyn, Steven, Theodore, Henry, Stanley, Timothy, Anthony, and Martin.” Nicky nodded, mouthing each name as she jotted them onto her paper, but paused, tapped against each name, and looked at him with a raised brow

“I thought we were getting ten each…”

“Yeah?”

“You only have nine.” It was clear he knew that, as he looked away and avoided her eyes, but she reached out, tapping the end of her pen against his chin. “…what did you choose for number ten?”

“…Phil.” With a soft sigh, she took the items from his hands, and tossed them, along with her own, to the table, climbing into his lap.

“Loki, you can’t keep feeling bad for what happened with him…you weren’t right. Things weren’t right. I know that…I don’t blame you for it, not anymore. And we’re far enough outside of the judgment of everyone else that it shouldn’t matter what they think.” He slid his hands around her waist, gently rubbing at her stomach, as she dotted kisses on his forehead.

“I murdered your friend. I did…a terrible thing. And all just to break you up. I might not have been myself, but…I am still responsible. And while I can’t go back and fix it…I want to try to make amends the only way I can.” She lifted his head, and brushed her lips over his.

“Loki…listen to me. This won’t bring him back. This won’t fix things for the people at SHIELD who are still reeling. You have made up for what happened, you saved  _my_  life. That’s plenty for some people.”

“I’m not some people, though, Nicky. I was a monster, I was a God, and I was a King. Please.”

                She wanted to argue, she wanted to convince him to change his mind. But there was a plea in his eyes, in the sound of his voice, and she sighed, lightly kissing him again.

“Alright. …then what about Christopher Phillip?”

“I like that,” he breathed, pulling her into a gentle embrace.


	20. Chapter 20

               Every inch of her body tingled at his touch. His fingertips blazed a trail down her sides, beneath her shirt, as his lips brushed against her neck, leaving a burning trail as he moved towards her clavicle. Soft breaths, whimpered sighs, passed her lips as she rolled her head back, and shifted her hips against his lap. She straddled him at the head of the bed, his back leaning against the headboard as her hands tangled in his dark hair. His hands trailed around her waist, and up her back, groaning into her chest as she rolled her hips against his growing erection.

“Damn, Nicky,” Loki breathed, pulling her down slightly to nip at her neck. Nicky whimpered, rolling her head back as he smirked. “You’re so…unnn,” he groaned, as her hips lowered and she moved against his a bit harder than before.

                As his hands tightened around her waist, pulling her body closer, a loud knock sounded from downstairs, and for a moment, they both paused, waiting.

“What was that?” Loki asked, eyebrow raised. They’d yet to have a visitor, at least one they weren’t expecting, but with the fire raging between them, the intrigue at the sudden sound didn’t last. With a shrug, Loki pulled her close, smirking as she bowed her head to press her lips to his.

                The knock sounded again, this one loud enough to surprise Nicky into twisting away from Loki, nearly toppling back on the bed. His hands caught her hips, holding her up with a chuckle.

“Easy, Nicky…” he said, placing a kiss to her neck before shifting his legs out from under her. “I’ll go check.”

“Hey, no, I don’t think so,” she replied, catching his hands, and pulling him back onto the bed, giggling as she fell back and he caught himself before landing on top of her.

“What?”

“You can’t leave yet – Loki, I  _need_  you,” Nicky purred, trailing her fingers along his neck. He groaned, eyes fluttering, as he pressed his hips against her and leaned in for a kiss.

                Another knock.

                Heaving a heavy sigh, Loki kissed her quickly, and climbed from the bed, exiting the room as she flopped backwards with an exaggerated groan.

“I’ll only be a moment,” he called back to her, before reaching the bottom of the steps.

“That’s a moment too long!” she answered, but laid there, waiting for him anyways.

                When a few minutes passed, and Loki hadn’t returned, concerned replaced her lust, and she climbed off the bed, resting a hand across her stomach as she made her way down the steps.

“Loki? Is everything alright?” She heard him apologizing from the kitchen, and frowned as he appeared at the bottom of the steps, a sheepish look on his face.

“Sorry, sorry. I did say a moment, didn’t I?”

“Yeah…I was getting worried…” Nicky admitted softly, as he reached out, rubbed a hand against her stomach, and leaned up for a light kiss.

“I’m alright. We have company.”

“ _Now_?” He snickered, and led her into the kitchen.

“I believe you remember Thor.” Standing on the other side of the kitchen, still dressed as though he were about to go into battle, was Thor, a smile on his face.

“Agent Cole. A pleasure to see you again.” She blushed, peering at Loki, before nodding, and forcing a smile.

“Oh, um…you, too, Thor…what are you doing here?”

“I came to check on my brother. I hear he is doing well.” Her face burned, and she turned her head to catch Loki’s eye.

“…he is doing wonderfully. I think he’s…all better now. How…long are you staying, Thor? Are you hungry, would you like something to eat?” she offered, shrugging a little. There was a second of consideration on Thor’s face, before he shrugged, as well, and nodded.

“That sounds wonderful! Thank you, Cole.” With a smile, she patted Loki’s arm lightly, and stepped around them.

“I’ll get something started…you can…um…talk? In the living room? Or…or wherever,” Nicky said, before motioning to the window. “It’s nice outside, if you want to show him the house,” she added, glancing once more at Loki before disappearing into the kitchen. The two chuckled, and Loki, with a smile on his lips, led his brother outside.

                Thor crossed the patio, and peered out at the water, a smile on his face. It was amazing, how much Loki had changed since he was stripped and left on Earth. He was smiling again, genuinely smiling, and he did appear much happier.

“Loki…I am impressed.”

“Yeah?” he pressed, curious.

“You seem…incredibly happy.” A soft hint of color found Loki’s cheeks, and he nodded, glancing back at the house as he approached Thor.

“I am. I was certain I would never forgive any of you…especially not for leaving me  _here_. But you know what…I am glad that was the choice that was made. I do feel much better than I used to.”

“She has…been good to you?”

“Nicky? She has been wonderful.” Loki was certain there weren’t enough words for him describe how he felt about Nicky. How much he loved her. But he could see something on Thor’s face as he nodded, and looked up towards the sky. “Why did you come here, brother?”

“Father sent me with a gift for you.”

“Oh?”

“You have changed just as we hoped you would. You have gotten better. It is our desire to bring you home, and return you to your former glory on Asgard.”

“What?” Return home? Become a God again? He would be as powerful as he had been – he would be  _himself_. For a brief moment, a look of excitement formed on his face, and he started to grin, before he heard the clatter through the window, and raised a brow, tilting his head to see Nicky waving reassuringly as she bent to pick up the pan she dropped.

“Come home, brother. Come home, and be a Prince, and a God, once again. You will have everything again.” Loki’s eagerness to say yes, his excitement at being  _wanted_  back on Asgard, melted as he saw Nicky smiling, laughing at herself, through the window into the kitchen. She didn’t know he was watching – or, at least, didn’t acknowledge it – but he was certainly watching her. And he sighed, and shook his head.

“I have everything, right here.”

“…what?” The tone gave away how confused Thor was as Loki shrugged, and turned to see him.

“I have everything I want. Right in there.” Raising an eyebrow, Thor shook his head, and glanced back up towards the sky.

“You would rather stay here, on Earth, than come back to Asgard, and be returned to your glory?” Thor pressed, frowning as Loki nodded.

“Yes. I love her, brother. She’s…given me everything. She means  _everything_  to me. And…” Loki felt his lips curling into a smirk, giving away his anticipation. “…she’s pregnant. So I’m going to be a father. And I’d rather have her, and a baby, here, on Earth, than ever return to Asgard.”

                Thor wanted to be upset with him. Stay on Earth as a human rather than return to Asgard as a God? It was almost a ridiculous choice. God versus Human – God won out, every time, even if the person facing the choice was born a human. But before Thor could tell him it was ridiculous, he saw that look on his brother’s face, and it brought a small smile to his own. He understood. He had the same feelings for Jane, only he had not been forced to stay on Earth as long as Loki. If he were in his brother’s shoes…

“…congratulations, brother,” he said, clamping his brother’s shoulder in his large hand. “I’m sure, if I were in your position…I would make a similar decision.”

“Thank you, brother. Come on…she might need a hand in there.” Thor smiled, and nodded, following Loki in through the backdoor as Nicky nudged the pan on the stove with her hip.

“What were you boys talking about?” Nicky asked, pushing her hair off her face. Loki smirked, glancing at Thor, before placing a light kiss on her forehead.

“Nothing…he was just complimenting me – and you – on…how well I’ve been doing.” Even though she was a tiny bit skeptical, she smiled over at Thor, and shrugged.

“Big change, hm?”

“Very,” Thor replied, keeping the secret, as he took a seat at the table, while Loki helped Nicky finish the meal.

 


	21. Chapter 21

                It was a weird feeling, being pregnant. Nicky hadn’t been out of shape since she was a kid, and even then, it wasn’t so much “out of shape” as it was “I’m a teenager and too damn lazy.” And even now, she knew she wasn’t really out of shape – it just felt that way, with the realization that her stomach was just going to keep growing. For the first couple of months, nothing changed between her and Loki. He was still just as quick to tease her and turn her on as she was to tease him.

                But after she started to show, he made himself stop. A sex life that had been “whenever, wherever” quickly became “oh…yeah, okay…”, and it didn’t slip by unnoticed.

                Nicky was on the border of month six from month five, her stomach round beneath her arms as he draped them in an attempt to cover it. The two of them sat upon the sofa, him in his jeans and a tank top, her in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, while she leaned against his side, his arm around her shoulder, and Loki clicked through the channels on the TV, trying to find something, anything, that she would want to watch.

                It sure as hell wasn’t easy, with almost everything either making her scowl, or sniffle. The first few times, he had asked her what was wrong – some of these were things she’d watched before – but after she grumbled at him, glared at him, he stopped asking, and simply changed the channel if he either saw the scowl or heard the sniffle. Finally, with a sigh, Nicky carefully pulled herself off the couch, and moved to the shelves by the TV that held DVDs, rubbing her stomach lightly until she plucked one down.

“What’d you choose?”

“Hmph… _Knocked Up_ …not sure why I wanna watch this…but I kind of do.” To be honest, Nicky never thought much of the movie – it was alright - but it was part of a set of DVDs she had bought online, and just never got rid of it. Loki raised a brow, and shifted, waiting for her to come back and sit down with him.

                A few minutes into the movie, as Loki absentmindedly ran his fingers through Nicky’s hair while his arm draped around her shoulder, Nicky bit upon her bottom lip, and peered up at him. He wasn’t looking at her, he was watching the movie, but the touch of his fingertips on her neck sent a shiver down her spine, and she shifted ever so slightly, brushing her lips over his neck. His body tensed, caught off-guard by the touch, before he looked down, and smiled.

“What are you doing?” Loki asked quietly, as she leaned in, and captured his lips in a kiss. Nicky didn’t answer, she just slid her hand over his chest and up against his neck, smiling into the kiss as he leaned in to return it. It felt good, it felt  _right_ , for just a moment, before he pulled back, and nudged his nose against hers. “…I thought you wanted to watch the movie?”

                Leaning back, Nicky stared at him, a hint of confusion in her eyes. Had he actually just asked if she had wanted to watch the movie? Rather than kiss her? Heaving a sigh, she shook her head, and pressed her back against the back of the sofa, laying her hands across her stomach again. That smile that had been on his lips disappeared, replaced by a frown, as he tilted his head.

“What?”

“Nothing, just forget it.”

“Oh, come on Nicky…you said you wanted to watch this,” Loki told her, pointing at the TV.

“And if you hadn’t noticed, it’s on  _DVD_ , we can start it over again.” Actually, he had forgotten, and it made him blush as he shrugged, and turned slightly to face her.

“Well, then, come back over here.” Nicky scoffed, and pushed him away, grunting slightly as she climbed from the couch.

“Don’t  _pretend_  to want me now, Loki, I’m not stupid.”

                Her feet shuffled against the floor as she started out of the room to the steps, silently swearing at herself for thinking he would want her. Nicky didn’t hear the couch squeak as Loki hopped to his feet to follow her. She didn’t hear him until he was standing just a few steps behind her.

“Nicky, stop. What is the matter with you?”

“Nothing is the matter with me…except for the fact that, you know, I’m  _fat_ , and I’m  _ugly_ , and even you don’t want me – you, the only person who has ever thought me  _beautiful_ , you barely want to touch me, let alone…let alone kiss me, o-or have anything to do with me unless I’m completely and fully dressed, and even then!” Tears had started to brim her eyes as she shook her head, turned to head up the steps.

“What are you talking about? I think you’re gorgeous,” Loki told her, frowning and shaking his head, stumbling slightly as she reached the landing, and turned sharply to see him.

“Oh, give me a  _break_! The most you’ve had much to do with me in the past week  _alone_  was just now watching that movie, with your arm around me. You hardly touch me, you don’t kiss me unless I kiss you first, and even then, it ends up like…like down there, where you pull away. I just…I’m fat, and I feel ugly, and it just makes it worse. It’s like…It’s like you don’t love me anymore,” Nicky whimpered, shaking her head and turning away, His hand caught her, turning her back towards him. He looked confused, his brow furrowed, but there was a slight anger in his eyes.

“Why the hell would you think I don’t love you? Because I don’t want to risk hurting the baby? You know I can’t resist you, Nicky, so I just thought it would be better to avoid getting started than it would be to get to that point and stop suddenly.”

                God, she hated the way she felt. Tears were in her eyes, her hormones were off the charts. All she wanted was to curl up and cry, or lay on her back and have Loki make love to her – at that moment, she didn’t care which one it was. But she shook her head, knowing which one was more likely.

“You don’t touch me. You rarely kiss me. You won’t have sex with me,” she listed, shaking her head, and pointing at him. “You know, most guys would have asked their girl to marry them before they stopped finding themselves attractive.” Nicky wasn’t sure where that came from, but it was too late to make a face at it – she just let it hang in the air, her brow furrowed, as Loki’s anger faded, and it was just pure confusion.

“…Nicky, what the hell are you talking about?” he asked, frowning as she shook her head. Marry them? The only thing Loki knew about marriage was what he’d seen in movies – it was one of the few things she hadn’t explained, or talked to him about.

“Nothing, just forget it. Just…go back downstairs and watch the movie, o-or go…I don’t know, do something. I’m going to take my ugly, unloved self and go lie down before I say something else stupid,” Nicky grumbled, taking a step away from him. His hand caught her again, but as she spun to pull away, he backed her up towards the wall, stopping just before she rammed against it.

“You honest,  _honestly_  think, that I don’t love you? If I didn’t love you, do you think I’d still be here? That I would have been so excited about this baby?” He shook his head, and ran his hand over his hair, shoving it from his face. “Do you think, if I didn’t love you, I would have given up the chance to go home?” Nicky opened her mouth to argue, sniffling softly, but instead, she knitted her brow together, pulled her head back slightly, and frowned.

“….what?” she breathed, clearly confused. “…the chance to go home, Loki, what are you talking about?”

“When Thor came down…he was here to tell me that I was welcome to come home, to be returned to power as I was before. And I said  _no_ , I wanted to stay here, because I was happy here. He offered me to come home, and I could get back  _everything_ , and I saw you in the kitchen, and I told him I have everything I could ever want, right here,” he told her bluntly, putting his hands on her hips. “There’s nowhere else I would rather be, Nicky, than here with you.”

                Instantly, she felt incredibly stupid, and lowered her head, her lip trembling. He gave up everything? For her? She shook her head, and lifted her hands to cover her face.

“Oh, my god, Loki…I…why? I’m nothing special, I’m just…I mean…you were a God, you were a Pr-“

“And you have given me more in the past year than anyone has given me in my entire life. More love, and more trust, and more honesty. And for the love of everything, Nicky, you mean the  _world_  to me. And if I had to choose between having you and this baby, or being on Asgard as a god and a prince, I would choose the two of you, every time.” Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she finally raised her head to see him, sniffling.

“If you love me so much, Loki, why won’t you touch me anymore?”

“I’m scared…that I’ll hurt you…or the baby…and I could not live with myself if I were to do that,” Loki admitted, his voice slow, and soft, as he focused his eyes on her stomach, and gently rubbed her sides. Nicky exhaled, and sucked in a deep breath, repeating the motion as she stared at him.

                How selfish could she possibly be, thinking that he didn’t want her, that he didn’t love, just because he was afraid? But she had no clue he felt that way. How could she  _not_ know? Her hormones were sending waves through her body, the almost overwhelming urge to cry matched with the completely overwhelming urge to embrace the man before her. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Nicky threw her arms around his waist, and buried her face in his shoulder.

“I’m so sorry…I didn’t…I just…” Despite her attempt at holding it back, tears began to pour down her face, and Loki, breathing out slowly, wrapped his arms around her.

“It’s alright…I’m sorry I stopped…I mean…I should have told you I was nervous.” Like Loki had ever admitted being afraid, or nervous, to anyone.

                But this was Nicky.

                And if anyone deserved his complete honesty, it was her.

                Ducking his head, he dotted a kiss on her neck, holding her close.

“Does it help, at all, if I told you that, as hard as it has been to resist you in the past, resisting you like  _this_ ,” he started, slipping his hands beneath her shirt to rub lightly against her stomach, “has been  _hell_?” A soft laugh passed her lips, and she moved her hand, dragging it across her face to wipe her eyes.

“…really?”

“Oh yes,” he murmured, brushing his lips against her cheek, and down to her shoulder. “I will try to be gentle, Nicky…if y-“ Sucking in a breath, she tilted her head to face him, and pressed her lips to his. Smirking into the kiss, Loki reached off to the side, pushing open the door to their room. “Mmm…come on…” he whispered, pressing teasing kisses to her mouth as he carefully led her into the room. Nicky followed like a lost puppy, her hands grasping his shirt and tugging it off before he slipped her from hers, and laid her back upon the bed.

“I love you, Loki…” He climbed between her knees, supporting himself with his hands on either side of her, as he smiled, and kissed her gently.

“I love you too, Nicky. I always will.”

“I know…” she murmured, her fingers already working at the button and zipper of his jeans.

“I’m sorry…if I ever ma-“

“It’s okay…just…make love to me.” She didn’t need to ask twice, as he bowed his head, and captured her lips once more, already shifting his hips so she could tug his jeans down.


	22. Epilogue

                Greece was home. As much as Nicky had missed the states during their first year in Alykanas Village, that was how much she loved it now, and had no intentions of returning. Alykanas Village was their home, they had made it completely their own.

                Nicky stretched out on her blanket in the sand, her sunglasses covering her closed eyes as she listened to the sounds of the beach. She could feel Loki’s eyes on her, watching her from his towel a couple feet away. It made her smirk slightly, just to herself, and shift her hips up, shimmying as she moved onto her stomach, her head on her arms. A soft groan sounded , and before too long, she felt his hand slip across her bare back, just above the top of her bikini bottoms, his lips brushing against her shoulder.

“You did that on purpose,” he growled into her ear, as she turned her head towards him, and opened her eyes, peering at him over the top of her sunglasses.

“Did what?” she teased.

“You know what,” Loki answered, dipping his hand and squeezing her butt, making her yelp, and laugh.

“Loki!” With a smirk on his lips, he pressed a kiss over her mouth, resting his body against hers on her towel. “Mm…I love you,” she murmured, nudging his nose with hers.

“I love you too…come on…let’s go back up to the house.” She rolled onto her side, and tilted her head to see the house up on the hill, before shrugging, and nodding.

“Alright. You go on ahead, I’ll be right up.” He stole one more kiss before scrambling to his feet, and jogging across the sand, making her smile as she watched him move. Nicky was convinced there was still some magic in his blood, with the way he made her felt, and the way he didn’t even look a day older than when they met. If anything, he looked younger – he looked better, healthier.

                With a smile, she climbed to her feet, and plucked their towels off the sand, shaking the grains out before laying them over her arm, and following his trail up to the house. Hopping onto the patio, she tossed both towels onto one of the beach chairs nearby, and shifted through the open back door.

“Loki? Where’d you go?”

                A laugh sounded from down the hall, before his head appeared through the kitchen door.

“Come! We have company!” Furrowing her brow, she traipsed across the tile floor, and peered into the entryway, smiling at the company Loki seemed so excited for.

                It was Thor, smiling in the doorway.

“Hi!” she laughed, moving over and accepting an embrace from a mortally-dressed Thor. He gently squeezed her in return, before stepping back, and grinning.

“Nicky! It is wonderful to see you!”

“You too! Are you hungry? Or thi-“ Before she could finish her thought, the clock behind her chimed, and Nicky twisted to see it. “Oh…Uh, good thing we came in. You guys get comfortable, I have to run out. But I’ll be back soon,” she promised, before bolting past Loki up the steps, and returning a moment later in a pair of shorts and an unbuttoned button-up. Planting a kiss on Loki’s cheek, and waving at the visitor, Nicky disappeared out the door, reaching back in only to pluck the keys off the hook by the door.

                It wasn’t too long, maybe twenty minutes, before she pulled back into the driveway, and Loki excused himself from his brother, moving to the door to wave at her. She smiled through the windshield, hooking the keys on a belt loop on the front of her shorts, before climbing out.

“Come on, baby,” she said, opening the backdoor of the car as she closed hers, peering down as the young boy hopped out, and slid his hand into hers.

“Coming, momma.”

                She smiled at the young boy, ruffling his dark hair playfully, leading him around the car until he saw Loki, and released her hand to run towards him.

“Daddy!”

“Hey, Christopher! How was school?”

“So much fun!” Loki crouched, embracing the little boy, before placing a kiss on his cheek, and peering over his shoulder.

“So we have some company, buddy…”

“…we do?” Oh, he sounded so nervous, but Loki and Nicky smiled as she touched his back.

“Yes, baby. But it’s okay – it’s family.”

                There was such a curiosity in Christopher’s eyes that Nicky giggled, and led him around Loki, peering around the door.

“Thor? There’s someone here to see you.” A small thump sounded from the other room, and Thor made his way into the kitchen, pausing at the sight of the little boy who bore a striking resemblance to the former god behind Nicky. No one moved for a second, before Nicky patted a reassuring hand upon Christopher’s shoulder. “Thor…this is our son, Christopher. Christopher…this…is your Uncle, Thor.”

                The young boy looked up at his mother, back at his father, before grinning, and crossing the floor, opening his arms for Thor.

“Hi!” A smile split Thor’s lips, and he crouched, ever-so-gently embracing the little one.

“Hello, Christopher. You look just like your father, do you know that?” Thor asked him, closing his eyes as Christopher giggled.

“Momma says that when I smile,” Christopher answered.

                It wasn’t too long before they all moved into the living room, the adults sitting on the sofa and the chair, and Christopher flopping onto the floor a few feet away to play. Nicky looked over, smiling at her son, before patting a hand on Thor’s.

“Loki finally told me…that you tried to get him to go back,” she said softly, as Thor nodded.

“I offered…I did not realize how much he cared for you.”

“…thank you, for not trying to force him. I, uh…I’m positive things would be wretched if he’d gone.” She felt his hand on her knee, and she smiled lightly, before closing her eyes. “And I wanted to thank you…I know I was not  _your_  choice. And I know you had no control over his actions prior…but I wanted to thank you for ultimately sticking with the decision to bring him here as punishment.” Thor smiled, seeing the look upon her face as she finally opened her eyes to see the two of them. “He, and Christopher, mean the world to me. And I don’t think…in fact…I know my life would be so much…” She opened her hands, and shrugged her shoulders, not sure if  _worse_  was the right word or not.

                But Thor reached over, and put his hand over hers, smiling.

“It is alright. I am very thankful that you had such an effect on him. He has spent long enough being unhappy – and I knew the moment I arrived last time that something was making him happy…I just did not yet realize it was  _you_.” Nicky smiled, and leaned into Loki as he put his arm around her.

“So I take it then, brother, that you would welcome Nicky into the family with open arms?”

“Of course.” That was when Thor realized Nicky had been spinning a ring on her finger for a few moments, and he lowered his as she shrugged, and smiled.

“When Fury gave us everything to come out here, to get out of the States and go anywhere we wanted, he got us under the radar by making us Mr. and Mrs. Cole. After Christopher was born…and once he got a little older…we went to the mainland, and had a ceremony,” Nicky said, shrugging. A grin formed, and Thor laughed, standing and pulling both his brother  _and_  sister into an embrace.

“Congratulations!” he announced, as Nicky squeaked and hugged him back with her free arm, her other arm pinned between her body and Loki’s.

“Ech! Thor! Cannot! Breathe!” Loki groaned through the embrace, laughing as Thor released them.

“Apologies. It’s exciting!  _Finally_ , someone can handle this mischievous fool!” Thor teased, hooking an arm around Loki and rubbing his palm over his brother’s head, messing up his hair.

“I handle him quite well, Thor,” Nicky grinned, ignoring the wide-eyed look, the snort, from her husband.

“Nicolette!” he declared, making her smile innocently, and look towards Christopher.

“I only said I handle you well. Nothing wrong with that.” Loki snickered, and rolled his eyes, as he turned to watch Nicky move and sit beside Christopher, playing with him.

“You know, brother,” Loki began, smiling at the two seated on the floor, “when you were last here, I said I had everything, and that I was happy…but…I must tell you, I was wrong.”

“Oh? How so?”

“Because I did not know pure happiness until our son was born, and we were officially married. Truly, brother…this is…perfect.” Thor looked at his brother, seeing the sweet smile upon his face, and Nicky raised her head as Christopher climbed into her lap, crashing his toys together. Their eyes met, and she curled a smile in the corner of her lips, silently mouthing  _I love you_. With a slight hint of color hitting his cheeks, Loki nodded, and silently returned the  _I love you_ , before he stepped away from Thor, and scooped Christopher up for a hug.

“I love you daddy.”

“I love you too, Captain,” he smiled, embracing his son sweetly, and smiling at Nicky’s hand on his leg. He had a history of brushing things off, letting people think things were okay, telling people things were fine, but letting his problems fester, when he was a God, when he was on Asgard. But here he stood with his wife, with his son, with his brother, and he knew that everything was different. He was happy. He felt complete.

                He wasn’t exaggerating, when he had spoken with Thor.

                This was perfect.


End file.
